All is fair in Love and War
by PrimeEmily135
Summary: She's an assasin. He's a prince. Let's see how this works out. BowserXPeach LudwigXRaven Raven is my OC
1. Chapter 1: Raven

** Hey! PrimeEmily135 here. Took me long enough to upload a story. Sorry the Chapters are a little short. Hope you like it. Please Review and tell me what you think :)**

**Oh yeah...Disclaimer for the whole book! I do not own Mario. there I said it. don't expect to see it again :)**

**One**

Raven quickly stashed her iPod under her pillow as her bedroom door burst open. A small albino chain chomp barked at the intrusion to its master's quarters but calmed when it saw that it was only the pink-shelled koopa maid intern. "Valery Koopa, don't scare me like that!" She lay back down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. "What does my father want this time?"

The maid seemed to gasp for breath. "Your father- his most gracious highness of everything in the land of mountains and assassins-wants to see you…in the study…"

Raven rolled her eyes slightly, apparently the royal family Valery was with before her was into the long royal title\compliments. "But what does he _want_?" she didn't like when her father called her to the study, it always spelled bad news for her.

Valery bounced on her heals in a nervous manner. "I think-It isn't in my place to say…"

The princess sighed. "Am I in trouble?"

The maid shook her head slowly, "No, I don't think so."

"All right, tell him I'll be along shortly." She watched the maid nod, hurriedly leaving the room before saying another word.

Taking her iPod back out from its hiding place she turned it off. She ran her hand across the smooth black back of the illegally imported electronic from the Darklands. Eight years ago when her mother, Queen Lillian, had passed away from some unknown disease, her father had outlawed music because it reminded him too much of her. It was as stupid thing to do in Raven's opinion. She loved music and had done everything in her power to break the stupid law. She had imported various things from the Darklands and the Mushroom Kingdome over the years. She had a harp, a flute and a violin from the Mushroom Kingdome, and she had an electric guitar, a drum set, a steal drum set and an iPod from the Darklands. Of course she never kept any of that in the castle, besides the iPod. She had a secret hideout farther up their mountain of rock: A small cave hidden behind a group of trees, three miles from any house in the Kingdome. Over the first three years since her mother's passing she had turned the cave into a soundproof house of sorts, filled with noting but instruments, paper and some living room furniture.

The Rebel of a princess opened a secret stashing drawer in the wall and gently laid her iPod in it. She kept many secrets in the drawer, but none of them as significant as the letters she had secretly been sending and receiving from her Pen-pal in the Darklands. She picked up one of the letters and held it in the light of her bedside lamp. The envelope was addressed with extreme care in beautiful handwriting and blue ink. Opening it, she began to read the fancy cursive writing.

_As we have previously agreed not to identify ourselves I cannot divulge exactly what location I was at. But I can disclose that it was a meeting of musical geniuses. We were gathering for a friendly banter and discussion of each other pieces of music. Honestly I cannot fathom why I even participate in such things, I can never get a true opinion because of my title (which I cannot disclose)…_

Raven and he had long ago agreed to keep their names and origins secret. They had met quite by accident when the not-so-bright mail man had delivered her letter to the wrong person. The boy she had made contact with kindly replied to her saying that her letter never made it to its intended destination. Somehow she had managed to forget to sign her name on the letter but when his letter came he had also left his name out. She didn't know what compelled her to write to him again but soon they were writing every couple of weeks. So they soon had decided to go by code names instead of the impersonal no-name basis, he was known to her as Conductor (he explained early on that he was a musician) and she was known to him as Lavender. She smiled as she smelled the feint sent of Lavender on the paper. When she revealed her codename she told him that she loved the smell of lavenders so since then he had scented all of his letters to her with lavender. It was such a sweet gesture in her eyes.

She placed the letter back in its hiding place and went to look at herself in the mirror. Usually she didn't care what she looked like but when she had to be in her father's presence she always tried to fit the image of her people. She was dressed completely in black. Black pants that were loose and comfortable, a black tank-top covered by a leather jacket and flat soul boots laced up all the way up her calves. She grabbed a ribbon and quickly tied her jet black hair back into a pony tail. Slipping on her black gloves and grabbing her thin sword she left for the study.

She didn't like seeing her father in the study: it usually meant trouble or a job. Sometimes it meant both. It was like the cursed spot in her life. Today she hoped she got a job. She didn't want to deal with scolding, she just knew that she would snap and get into more trouble. She always told her father to give her a break when she snapped like that: she was only fifteen after all! Being a teenager was hard enough without having to assassinate people and help keep order amongst her people.

She knocked on the giant oak doors to the study and waited to be called in, like a good princess. Hopefully she could get on her father's good side today and whatever he wanted would go over better.

She heard his gruff voice beckon her from within. Opening the door she saw that the desk he worked at was, as usual, covered in papers and pictures. Some looked like criminal head shots while others looked like they were taken from a passing glance. Her father was holding one of a blurry Koopa, not recognizable in the least.

"Sit down Raven." He commanded, but didn't realize that there weren't any other seats.

She reverted to standing in front of the desk as usual. "What's the news?" she asked as bluntly without emotion as she could. Where she lived she had figured out from a young age never to show how you truly felt: it would only get you hurt. "Is it good or bad?"

He looked up with a small smile. "It's good this time actually." She was unmoved: his version of good was usually not very good or ranking in her version of very bad. "My advisors and I think it is about time for you to get married-"

"-you've been saying that since I was twelve." She cut in. "And I don't care what your advisors think, I don't think I'm ready. I'm not even sixteen yet…The princess of the Mushroom Kingdome is nearing thirty and she's not married."

"-As I was saying." He continued, completely ignoring her objection. "We have arranged for you to meet some of the local princes and Kings in two months at your birthday ball."

"So you're going to make me go to something I've hated since I was seven and you're going to make me socialize with a bunch of men that I have no interest in, and that are only interested in me for my-"

"That is beside the point Raven." He cut her off before she could finish her perturbed comment about why men were interested in her. "You will find a husband at the ball…Actually I will but that is also beside the point. Raven you're growing up and-"

"Yes! I know I'm growing up!" she raised her voice just below a shout. "Let me make my own decisions! Stop controlling me, I'm not a child anymore!"

"Raven, I know how you must feel about all this-"

"No, you don't! You don't know anything about me! And don't pretend to care about me: we both know that you stopped that when mother died, so don't try to deny it! All I am to you is your personal assassin and you know it!" She glared at him as minutes of silence followed.

His eyes locked with hers, sternly reminding her that it wasn't in her place to backtalk to him, but her eyes never wavered. She continued to stare him down with all the mixed emotions of neglect she felt around him. He had practically abandoned her after her mother died. He had sent her off to the sparring pit, where if people hadn't taken care of her she would have died herself. He treated her like someone he had never met.

Finally the hardened King broke their battle of eyes and continued on as if nothing had happened. "And I have a new job for you. I hope you'll like it."

She rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall. So now it was down to business as usual. "Where are you sending me now?" She had high hopes for the Yoshi Islands. The islands around that area were beautiful that time of year and the wind was just enough to contradict the hot rays of the sun. Or maybe she could go to the Mushroom Kingdom. She had been to the Mushroom Kingdom many times before, but she didn't want to kill anyone there: the whole kingdom seemed so peaceful.

"You'll be going to a place you're familiar with: the Darklands."

She blew a lock of black hair out of her face. She had been to the Darklands a hundred times and more. It was okay but not the kind of place she had hoped to go to. "Who's my target?"

"Actually…" the King stood up and paced along the window seal. "I don't quite know myself yet. It is all a bit confusing. But this is a double mission, there will be a death (Don't you worry about that) but I you will also steal something. It's a central power unit that goes out to the whole Kingdom. If you take that out there will be confusion, just enough that we can wipe out over half the population-"

"Why would we do that? They've never done anything to us?" she objected.

Her father paused. "They've done more to me than you'll ever know…"

* * *

_Dear Conductor_… (She started her letter to her mysterious friend).

_Due to recent circumstances I will not be able to contact you for a while. I don't know how long or if I will be able to ever again. I know I shouldn't be saying this but my line of work is rather dangerous and violent. It's nothing I would choose for myself but it is important to the people I live with. I always make it out alright but this time…Something's bothering me, I can't put my finger on it. I feel like something bad is going to happen to me. So, just in case I can never write you again, I want you to know that even though we've never met in person…You are the closest friend I have ever had._

_Sorry, I don't mean to get all sappy or depressing but I just feel that this job might end up being my last. Please, keep me in your prayers as I go through this. If I don't write to you within the next month and a half…I am probably dead. _

_I hope to hear from you as soon as I can, and I hope that I make it through this time._

_Anyways…If it's not one depressing subject it's another. My father wants me to get married. It's crazy! I'm not even sixteen yet (Sorry, don't know if that's too much information or not. I've really grown not to care what I tell you: I figure it doesn't hurt me any). He's insistent about it too. I don't want to get married, at least not yet. I want to find someone on my own account, not have some random guy selected out for me. I want to meet someone, fall in love and just enjoy life with that person. Is that too much to ask?_

_Sorry, I'm getting mushy again aren't I? _

_Well to answer your question in your last letter: Yes, I am a great lover of music. I love music of all kinds! Classical, to Rock, you name it I'll probably love it. Unfortunately I don't get to listen to music that much, in fact it's against the law to listen to music where I'm from. (Again, that's probably too much information, but I don't care). But the law has never stopped me from doing what I want. I even have a stash of musical instruments hidden in a cave a few miles away. I can play most of them pretty well I think, although I don't have much to base my opinion off of. Maybe I can send you a recording next time I write and you can give me your opinion… _

_I hope I make it back from my mission so I can hear from you again…_

_-Lavender…_ (She signed her name as pretty as she could but as always, her handwriting was never as good as the Conductor's).

She sealed the letter in an envelope and addressed it.


	2. Chapter 2: Surprise visitors

** Two**

Princess Peach stood out on her balcony, looking over the mushroom town. The cool air wafted the aroma of fresh bread up to the castle and she sighed at the pleasurable smell. The whole town was celebrating their princess's twenty-eight birthday. There were Yoshi races, baking competitions, children plays and visitors from all the surrounding Kingdoms. All of the surrounding Kingdoms that is, except the Darklands, which was strange. She had heard of no indications that her arch enemy Bowser was going to crash the party, which was even stranger. Even if he didn't come himself to crash the party he always sent someone to speak with her on her birthday.

"I wonder if he's finally given up…" she thought aloud, propping her elbow on the balcony and promptly resting her chin on her hand. "Or maybe he forgot…" she couldn't help her feeling of slight disappointment at the thought.

"No such luck your highness."

Peach spun around at the sudden intrusion. Toadsworth stood in her doorway with his short stubby arms crossed and a look of disapproval on his face. The wrinkles in his old face were deepened with his scowl. After managing not to scream in surprise and catching her breath, she stood up proper with her hands clasped behind her back. "Toadsworth, please don't scare me like that. You nearly made me faint."

"Sorry lassie." He apologized, stepping farther into her room.

"It's alright, no harm done." She looked back out over the town searching for any familiar Koopas, her curiosity peaked. "What did you mean no such luck?"

"Yeh, have a visitor from the Darklands. He supposedly comes in peace." The old toad huffed.

"How did you know I was thinking of Bowser?" she asked.

"Oh, come on now lassie, having that vile creature attack us today is on everyone's mind. Why wouldn't it be on yours as well? It is you he kidnaps after all…" he trailed off.

After a few minutes Peach spoke up. "So, _is_ he here?"

"If he was the entire Mushroom Kingdom would be in an uproar!" he laughed nervously. "No lassie, it's someone else this year. I believe it is one of his messengers or something of the sort." He kicked his small shoe and the ground absentmindedly. "He's waiting for you down stairs. I told him he would not be alone with you-"

"Now Toadsworth…" Peach said in a reprimanding voice. "If someone comes in peace then shouldn't they be treated as a guest no matter what race they are?" she watched him stutter, trying to come up with an answer for her. "Well go on, don't be rude." She waved him out of her room. "Invite him in. No matter what he is, I will deal with everyone in the proper political manner."

After the old toad scurried away, Princess Peach went to her mirror to look herself over. She fluffed her hair a bit but realized there wasn't much she could do to prepare herself for a visitor. She always looked the same. In fact although she was nearly twenty-five years old, she didn't look a day over eighteen. _Must be all the creams and avocado masks_. She thought to herself. It was no wonder why she had so many people seeking her hand in marriage, from Koopas to Computers. The suitors never stopped coming.

She sighed as there was a knock at her door. She wandered away from her vanity back to the balcony and called over her shoulder as politely as she could possibly muster. "Come in."

"Mama Peach!"

Peach whirled around for a second time that day and was this time greeted by a tackling hug around her legs. She nearly fell over but another set of hand caught her. "Junior?" she looked down at the youngest Koopaling in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"My apologies Princess Peach, but he insisted that I take him here for a stopover." Ludwig emerged from behind her still keep her upright as Junior tried to hug her tighter.

She laughed heartily and scooped Junior into her arms to twirl him around. "It's so good to see you!" she set him back on the ground.

"Again, again Mama Peach!" the little Koopaling squealed in delight.

Peach laughed again. "Now Junior, I'm barely strong enough to lift you up once. I don't think I could do it again even though I would do it in a heartbeat." She smiled down at him, and then turned her attention to the eldest of the Koopalings. "It's nice to see you again too Ludwig."

"The sense is mutual Highness." He said blankly.

"Well isn't this a surprise?" She knelt down to more Junior's level. "Will you two be staying for the activities?"

"Oh yes! Yes! Yes!" Junior looked up at his older brother. "Please Ludy, please?" he begged. "Dad won't know where we've gone, we'll just lie right?"

"Father isn't very easily fooled Junior. And he will be irritated enough when he discovers that we have become absent." Ludwig said sternly, but his expression softened a little. "But, I see no reason why we shouldn't partake in some activities."

Peach smiled fondly at the two of them. In the many years that she had been kidnapped she had grown a liking for the youngest and eldest Koopalings, even if they were the children of her arch enemy. "Well, I'm sure your father won't be so hard on you if you tell him that you were formally invited to stay for the activities." She took Junior's hand in hers and led them out of her bedroom. "Please do stay: this is the best present I could have asked for on my birthday."

"I was under the impression that you greatly despised us and would turn us out if we came." Ludwig said, standing on the other side of her. "You have been openly hostile to us-"

"No Ludwig, I am only hostile towards Bowser."

"What difference could there be? We are his children, his actions reflect upon us as much as ours reflect upon him." Ludwig looked at her skeptically.

She looked at him with understanding. "As far as I'm concerned you and your siblings have done nothing to deserve feelings of hate. Whereas your father…" she trailed off. "Let's not talk about this."

"Mama Peach, I have a wiggly fang!" Junior brought her attention back to him. "See?" he poked one of his front fangs with a claw and it wiggled back and forth. He smiled toothily when she giggled.

"That's great sweetie." She patted his bright flaming red hair. "So Ludwig I heard from behind the grapevine that you're turning seventeen soon. Seems like only yesterday when I met the small five year old playing on the piano with so much grace I thought I had died and gone to heaven."

That made the older boy smile slightly. "Indeed, you heard correctly."

"You've gotten so tall, pretty soon you'll be a whole head taller than me." She tried to keep up their conversation as long as possible. They passed through the hallways of the castle meeting the stares of many mushroom maids and menservants. She talked with Ludwig about his compositions and to Junior about his snow-globe collection, trying to avoid any conversation about their father.

In the gardens, where the brightly colored banners and signs were being put up for the night party, Peach and Ludwig sat down on a bench as Junior ran around trying to catch butterflies.

"So…Do you have anyone special to spend your birthday with?" Peach asked.

"I usually spend my birthdays alone." He said shortly.

"Okay, but _do_ you have a special someone in your life? You're almost seventeen, by the time I was your age I had many people wanting to be my special someone. Do you have any admirers? You have so many talents it's hard for me to imagine that no one has taken notice of you." she persisted.

"Oh, I have a selection admirers." He nearly laughed. "I have plenty of those…many of them are girls that are far too young for me and the others are either too old or…boys." He coughed. "I'm not gay, but many people think I am…I don't have anyone special in my life, but…"

"But?" she glanced over at Junior, making sure that he wasn't getting into trouble.

"I met someone-in a way I suppose…" he ran a hand through his think blue hair, messing it up a little. "Would it be considered a meeting if you've never laid eyes on the person in question?" He asked sincerely.

"Well, it depends on how you met her I suppose." She thought about it. "How did you meet?"

"Well, I was accidentally given a letter from her. I mailed her a letter informing her that her message never made it to its intended destination. She wrote me back saying that it was alright and asked if I could send it back to her so she would be able re-mail it. I did as she asked, and wrote her another letter to go with it. And we've been writing to each other ever since." He paused. "But I have absolutely no clue where she lives and I do not know her name."

Peach raised an eyebrow. "How can you mail each other if you don't know your names?"

He shook his head, almost embarrassingly. "We present each other with…Code names."

"What are code names?" Junior looked up at them, releasing his half crushed butterfly.

"Code names are fake names used for things." Peach smiled at the Koopaling as the boy shrugged and chased his butterfly again.

"Yeah well…" Ludwig coughed, clearing his throat. "My name to her is Conductor…"

Peach nearly laughed. "Conductor… that fits you perfectly!" she gave him a reassuring smile.

He smiled back. "I suppose…Her name to me is Lavender." He looked down at the grass as he gripped it between his clawed toes. "She informed me that her favorite scent was Lavender. When she told me of that I scented all of my letters to her with Lavender. Do you find that ridiculous?"

Peach shook her head. "No, of course not… I think it's a very sweet gesture." She patted his hand lightly. "From what you know, do you like her?"

The boy avoided her gaze for a while but he nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Why haven't you asked to meet her yet?" she turned to him, almost glad to have someone to talk to about the current subject, without it revolving around her.

"I suppose, I was afraid she would stop contacting me." He admitted, a little crestfallen.

"Well, if I were her I'd meet you."

"But you are not her…" he continued to not look at her.

"Ludwig…" she tried to look him in the eyes. "Ludwig what's wrong."

He shook his head. "She sent me a letter a few days ago. She said that her father wants her to get married. And apparently she might not survive a trip she going on soon… I'm worried about her safety. And, I want her to be happy. She informed me that she didn't want to get married to a complete stranger, and that she wanted to fall in love with a person before even considering marriage…" he finally turned to look at her. "Is that some kind of girl hint?"

Peach shook her head. "Not that I know of, it seems to be that she just needed so say some things and you were the only one available that she could trust. That's a good thing." She reassured him. "She obviously likes you a bit if she's willing to be so open with you."

"That or she hopes never to become acquainted with me so that it matters not what she reveals to me." He sounded upset.

Peach stood up. "Do you want to meet her?"

He glanced at her. "Yes."

"Do you like her?"

"Yes."

"Then you should tell her."

She gave him a reassuring smile. "The next time you write to her tell her what you think." She patted him on the shoulder and went to lead Junior to a place where they could eat.


	3. Chapter 3: Circle of friends

** Three**

Peach watched as the two brothers left. The sun was beginning to set and her actual party was about to begin. She was sad that Ludwig and Junior wouldn't stay longer: she enjoyed having the children around. They were so different from the Mushroom kids of her Kingdom. They were tough and smart and just plain fun.

She had tried to convince them to stay for the party but Ludwig said that they would not be welcome by her people and that they needed to get home.

As soon as they had left she went to her room to change for the party. Only her closest friends were invited to her actual party but she wanted to look nice for them. She changed out her large pink dress for a thinner formfitting cocktail dress. It was maroon in color and sparkled like diamonds when she turned in the light. On her head she wore her gold crown, and on her wrists she wore some gold bracelets (a gift from the Mario brothers on her birthday last year).

She looked over at her vanity and saw the small package that Ludwig had given her before he'd left. He didn't say what it was or who exactly it was from but she had the general idea. She took the package gingerly in her hand and sat down on her bed. She had a few minutes, why not open one present before her party. The small four by four by one inch box was wrapped in a light blue wrapping paper and tied with a dark sapphire bow. There was no note on the outside that she could find.

Taking a deep breath she decided to open it. Undoing the bow she set it aside and took the paper off of the box carefully. With another deep breath she lifted the paper up to see the box. She looked at the present, speechless. She picked up the glass case and held it up to catch the light of the setting sun.

She gazed at the bright Diamond necklace now in her hands. Each diamond was sculpted to look like a rose and set into a gold frame. She slipped it on around her neck and clipped it in place. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. Looking back in the box she saw a note folded up in it. She took the paper out, unfolding it.

_To the only Mama and friend we've ever had._

_We hope that you have a wonderful Birthday and that you like the present. _

_Happy Birthday, from Bowser and the Koopalings_.

* * *

Mario laughed as Luigi squirt milk out of his nose. "Luigi, that's-a not how-a you drink-a milk."

"Ah, he's so cute when he gets embarrassed." Daisy patted the green clothed plumber on the back so he wouldn't choke. "There, there big boy." She smiled mischievously, "I was only joking."

"I'm-a sure-a yeh were." Luigi wiped the last of the milk away from his nose.

Peach laughed. "You two have always been so funny!"

Daisy smiled. "Peach, open my present next!" she clapped excitedly as the mushroom princess picked up her bright yellow package.

"Hmm…what could it possibly be?" Peach shook the box and heard clunking sounds. "Huh…" finally she ripped the paper off the box and gave a small gasp. "Daisy, it's beautiful!" She picked up a new tennis uniform and a matching racket. "I love it! Oh and there's a visor!" she gave her cousin a hug, carful to keep her new necklace from tangling with Daisy's hair.

Mario gave a small cough. "It's-a been a long-a day…Luigi and-a I have to-a get up early to-a-morrow." He nudged his brother in the ribs. "We should-a get-a going."

Peach nodded, standing up to see them off. "Of course, thank-you for coming, Mario. You too Luigi." She opened the door for them. "Ride safely home!" she called after them as they trudged down the hallway.

When she turned her attention back to Daisy she was nearly jumping up and down in her excitement. "Well, now that they're gone you can tell me where you got that beautiful necklace?"

Peach mock tried to ignore her. "I don't know what you mean." She looked down at her neck. "Oh, you mean this old thing? Ah, some half crazy lover boy sent it to me." She half smiled.

Daisy became half serious. "It's from Bowser isn't it?"

"Well…" Peach sat down on her bed. "I think it was more from his children then from him. He hasn't been bothering me lately. I'm beginning to wonder if he's finally given up."

Her cousin nodded absentmindedly. "I don't think so, not someone like Bowser: he's too head over heels for you." She grabbed her piece of uneaten cake and sat on the bed next to Peach.

"Oh, please don't say that: it gives me chills just thinking about it."

"Why?"

"Because, it's just not natural...And he's so weird…"

Daisy popped a piece of cake into her mouth. "I think you're being too judgmental of him…" she swallowed. "I think it's kind of cute they way he's always trying to get you to like him. It's almost like Beauty and the Goomba, or the Princess and the Shy Guy. It's so romantic!"

"But it isn't like those stories." Peach objected, biting into a chocolate covered strawberry.

"How isn't it?"

"The Goomba and the Shy Guy turned into handsome princes." She sat further back on her bed. "Bowser isn't going to magically turn into a handsome prince in shining armor. He's rough, mean and dangerous. He only cares about himself."

Daisy shook her head. "Suite yourself but when he kidnapped me the other month, not that one but the one before that, he didn't seem at all like that. He was a bit rough, but not mean and dangerous, and you're all he ever talked about. I think it's really sad that you won't even give him a chance to prove himself to you. But enough about that, let's talk about other things…"

"Like?"

"Like the fact that I think Luigi is going to propose!" Daisy squealed, driving a similar reaction from her cousin.

"Really?"

"I think so! He hinted something about a romantic trip and he said something farther back about a ring and-Oh Peach! I think I'm in love!" she fell back on the bed, completely ignoring the cake that fell onto the already milk stained floor.

Peach laughed. "I think you've been in love for at least ten years now. But I'm still happy for you." She sipped her strawberry tea and set it aside on a small table. "What's it like to be in love? I mean for a while I thought I was in love with Mario but that was just a crush... Oh, what am I saying-I still like him. I was glad when he asked me out. I was just glad, I wasn't 'I'm going to die I'm so happy!'... What does love really feel like, Daisy?"

"It feels like, heaven-on a wedding cake…" Daisy said, half to herself.

Peach rolled her eyes. "I'm sure it does…"

* * *

Late that night Peach stared at the ceiling. Daisy slept on the huge bed beside her, curled up in her sleeping bag. She began to think about what her cousin had said: that she was being too hard on Bowser. How could she be too hard on him? _He's a monster, he can handle it._ She told herself. _He's not stupid, I don't think. He should be able to take a hint. I don't owe him any sort of chance. All he's ever done to be is kidnap me, scare me, and threaten my people. He's a Monster! I don't care about him at all. He should just give up already. _

She turned over on her side and got out of bed. _It's not at all romantic that he won't give up, no matter what happens to him or what I say… It's just sad, pathetic_. She walked out onto her balcony and looked up at the star scattered sky.

She looked across the sky for her wishing star. "Star Spirits, if you find it in your power… Make Bowser give up! He's driving me crazy!" It was a selfish wish. She knew that the stars would disapprove of it but she didn't care. She had to get the thought out of her mind. "I don't care how. Make him fall in love with someone else. Have something happen to him…" she paused, rethinking over her words. "No! Not like that! I just meant, have something distract him. I wouldn't wish anything bad on anyone… (not even Bowser)…"

"Well, _that's_ nice to know…"

Peach spun around quickly, wanting to scream in surprise but a scaly hand clamped over her mouth. She looked up into the glowing red eyes of the last person she wanted to see at the moment. _Why didn't I hear the Clown-Copter?_ She struggled against him, trying to rip free of his grip. She grabbed his strong arm and tried to push him away but her attempts were futile.

"Hey, hey, hey quit it!" he snapped, but not loudly. His voice was deep and steady, almost purring. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Finally she twisted herself away from him. "Bowser, what are you doing here?"

He covered her mouth before she could scream again. "Be quiet!" he hissed in her ear. "I'm not going to kidnap you! Okay? Will you shut up for two minutes?" he looked at her seriously, with no deceit hiding behind his eyes.

She glared at him coldly, and he sighed.

"I'm going to let go now. If you scream I swear I'll take you and your cousin back to the Darklands with me tonight." He waited for her to nod and then released her.

The cold night air hit her in full when his warm arms left her, and she shivered. She stayed silent, almost curious what he would do.

"I don't mean to." He barely whispered.

"What?"

"I don't mean to drive you crazy…" He avoided her gaze.

"How long have you been here Bowser?" Peach demanded, feeling her sense of privacy being invaded once again by her crazy stalker.

He raised an eyebrow with a small smile. "Longer than you would like, and shorter than I'd like to admit…" he turned back to her. "I heard enough however." His hurt look almost made her feel guilty. "You can wish to the stars as much as you want but no amount of wishing will ever make me stop loving you Peachy." He used her pet-name, trying to keep the mood lighter.

She avoided his eyes and looked around the dark night sky for any sign of his transportation. "How did you get here?" she purposely changed the subject away from her. "I didn't hear the Clown-Copter." And she still didn't see it.

Bowser sighed again but humored her. "It's a new model: a stealth-hover craft." He stepped behind her, making a chill of fear sweep through her, and pointed to the forest that loomed just beyond the town boundaries. "If you look carefully you can see it. It has a new camouflage technology we're trying to perfect. It's a little complicated to explain but in short words: It mirrors everything around it so it seems to be invisible."

"Why didn't you just fly it over here?" she huffed, trying her best to sound unimpressed.

"Because…" he said slowly through clenched teeth, "I didn't think you would like to have a giant attack scene on your birthday… and it was the only way I could get to you without you making a scene out of it. I just wanted to say happy birthday to you like all the other losers around here did."

"Peach…" a quiet voice echoed from the doorway and the princess spun around.

"Daisy? Don't scare me like that." She smiled at her cousin.

"Peach, who were you talking to?" the half awake princess rubbed her eyes tiredly.

She turned around to where Bowser had been just moments before and shook her head at his annoying ability to leave at a moment's notice. "No one Daisy…Let's go back to bed."


	4. Chapter 4: Ludwig's troubles

**(A/N) Hey everyone! Sorry these chapters are so short. I'm trying to make them longer but sometimes they just…end. You know. Hope you all like the story so far. Reviews are appreciated and a ****little**** creative criticism doesn't hurt. :P Anyways, thanks for reading and enjoy! :) **

* * *

**Four**

Ludwig dodged a flying piece of toast as it flew past his head, scribbling down a few measures on a spare piece of paper. Somehow breakfast had turned into another food fight where it was impossible to come away without a mark for it, and he was getting sick of it. He already had taken a sticky bun to the face from Roy and a splash of orange juice from Junior, which he had accepted as an accident when his littlest brother actually apologized.

He rubbed his temples, trying to keep his skull-splitting headache at bay. He had been up all night arguing with himself at how foolish his predicament was and now was stuck waiting for the magic-Koopa Kamek to show up, in a room full of obnoxious siblings.

"Missed me, missed me, now you got to kiss me!" Morton shrieked in pure terror as a bowl of hot syrup was smashed down on his head by Wendy.

"That's so gross!" she screamed at him, fleeing from the room as fast as she could.

Ludwig looked at the door in longing, wanting with every bit of him to be out of the accursed dining room, but he forced himself to wait patiently for Kamek. The old Koopa was wise and he needed some advice. He wasn't sure if Kamek was good with girls but he assumed that since the old koopa was able to date Kammy and survive he must have a few tips he could pass on.

The prince groaned as yet another plate of food was thrown across the room, and buried his head in his hands. He wanted so badly to solve his problem. Since he had seen Princess Peach the last week he had been trying to find a way to ask if Lavender wanted to meet but he just couldn't put his feelings to words.

"What's wrong Ludy?" Junior asked, poking his arm once with a spoon.

Ludwig looked up at his favorite little brother. "Nothing is the matter, dearest brother. I am merely suffering through a minor migraine." He smiled slightly at his brother's confusion. "I have a headache."

Junior's mouth formed an O and he went back to eating his Lucky-stars cereal.

"Ludwig!"

His head shot up when he heard Kamek call him from across the room. Completely forgetting his musical notes, he dashed from the table to the magic-koopa. "Let us be off. I do not know if I can manage another second in the present company." Not waiting for the old man's reply, he took off down the hall towards his room.

"I sense that something is troubling you, Ludwig-"

He quickly waved away the statement. "Not here Kamek, we have the misfortune to be in the presence of eavesdroppers and gossipers. I would prefer to keep this a private matter between the two of us and therefore my inquiry must wait till we reach less hazardous surroundings."

"Very well then…" Kamek nodded.

After securely locking his bedroom door Ludwig motioned for Kamek to take a seat on the couch pushed aside in the corner. Picking up a few papers scattered on the floor around his grand piano he thought of how to begin. He was very glad that Kamek was so patient with him and was staying quiet as he pulled his thoughts together.

Setting all the music sheets on the desk beside his bed he sat down on the floor next to the couch, an old habit he had when he was a child. That got Kamek's unwavering attention. Ludwig almost never did that anymore, and he only ever did it when he had been scared. No matter how old the boy got he had moments where he would be reduced to almost crying. The only one who knew about it was Kamek.

The old magic-koopa got off the couch and sat down next to the prince. "Ludwig, what's wrong? Are you alright? What happened?" he rested a wrinkled hand on the boy's shoulder. "Is it the nightmare about your mother again?"

Ludwig shook his head. "No, not mother…"

"What's the matter then?"

The boy looked up, shaking his head. "Kamek, I don't know what to do…"

"Ludwig, you're starting to worry me. You haven't had an episode like this in near two years." Kamek gripped the boy by the rim of his shell. "Ludwig, if you don't tell me what's going on right now I swear I'm going to have a heart attack!"

"Kamek, I don't know what to do…"

"You've said that already child!"

"I require your advice…" He wanted to call Kamek grandpa, like he used to as a child. He was in no way related to him but it was always comforting to call him that. He thought of Kamek like family because he was always there for him. His brothers and sister were horrid to the old koopa but that never changed the way Kamek treated him personally. "I'm-I'm scared…" he looked up at him. "I've never felt like this before."

Kamek sighed, a little relieved that it was only one of _those_ days. "Why don't we start at the beginning?" he suggested, trying to become more comfortable sitting with his back against the wall. "Is it about your brothers or Wendy?"

He shook his head.

"No? Alright then, does it have something to do with your father? Did he say something to you?" he hoped that it didn't have anything to do with his horridness, King Bowser.

Again, he shook his head.

"Boy if you don't tell me what's wrong, how am I supposed to help you?" he demanded, but not harshly. He knew that if Ludwig was slow with coming out with the problem he was thinking how best to word it. He had many incidents in the past; teasing, bullies, problems with siblings, people thinking he was gay, general problems with growing up, moments where he'd have flash backs about his mother, and the list was endless. But Kamek had been there through it all, from parent trouble to - "Wait, is it girl trouble?"

Ludwig looked up at him, his eyes telling all of his relief that he hadn't had to say it himself. "I cannot comprehend how this predicament could befall me. I have no way to control how I feel."

"Well, start at the beginning. That's the best way to start with these things." Kamek encouraged. "Just know that it is perfectly normal for you to be having girl troubles. I'd be worried if you weren't." he gave a small smile. "So, when did you meet her?"

"That's my dilemma Kamek. I've never met her!" he felt his chest heave with a few steadying breaths. "We've never been introduced, I've not seen her face, and I don't even know her true name!" he looked at the old koopa, exasperatedly. "How can it be possible to be smitten by one I've never met?" he paused, almost wishing that Kamek would tell him that it was stupid. He wished the old magic-koopa would tell him to forget about her, but he didn't.

"Love is a strange thing Ludwig…" he said quietly. "I'm afraid that even I, as old and experienced as I may be, am not at all completely sure how to deal with it myself. How do you feel about her?"

"I don't know." He stood up and began pacing the room. "I like her. Everything that she writes is like the most magnificent music to my ears, even still when the words tear my heart out."

"You write letters to each other?"

He sighed. "Yes…I can't stop thinking about her. I want to know more about her. What is she really like? Where does she live? Who is she? I spoke with Princess Peach on the matter and she suggested that I ask to meet her. The situation is…I don't know how to ask her!" he sat down on the piano bench his elbows clashing on the keys, making the most unholy clatter as he propped them there.

Kamek sat down beside the boy again and patted him on the shoulder. "Ludwig, I want you to listen to me." He spoke quietly and calmly, in the way he knew Ludwig needed to hear. The poor boy had had emotional issues since he was so young, it wasn't hard for him to figure out what kind of treatment he needed for a specific problem. "You need to calm down. Take a deep breath and just relax." He felt Ludwig's shoulders heave with a deep sigh. "That's good. Now Ludwig, getting right to the point, has she ever hinted that she's wanted to meet you?"

"I don't-I am not certain." He shook his head. "I've examined every letter she's ever sent to me but I have found naught of anything of use." He looked over at a desk littered with papers and envelopes. "I would not under normal circumstances suggest to something as private to me as an individual- but I'm desperate: If you think it would help, you may look over them yourself…"

"Yes, I believe that might help." He moved over to the desk and scanned the papers. "Are there any you wish me not to see?" Ludwig shook his head. "Very well…" He took a few and sat himself down on the couch. "She has very lovely handwriting." He commented, as he looked over the first letter.

Ludwig watched the old magic-koopa intensely, waiting for some sign as he silently read. A few times he said a small spell or two but moved on without comment. He seemed to be interested in the letters like one would be interested in a good book. He didn't stop until he had finished them all. When he looked up Ludwig sat up straighter bracing himself for whatever Kamek could have found.

The old koopa smiled."Well, we sure have an odd relationship on our case now don't we?"

"What have you found?" he asked anxiously.

Kamek laid aside the number of letters and looked back at the boy. Closing his eyes he rested his wrinkled hands on his lap. "I found a few things… but they are things you probably already know."

"Tell me nevertheless." He felt like begging but knew that Kamek would never reduce him to such actions.

"Well, first of all she's right-handed." Kamek got a small smile from the boy. "But I'm fairly sure that isn't what you want to know…"

He shrugged; figuring anything he could know about her would be nice.

"She is often much stressed and she uses you as an outlet for that. She has never told you a lie, and I was quite surprised how open she was with you being a total stranger. She is well educated but she's not exactly a genius." He paused as if thinking over something. "As for any hints that she wants to meet you…. She has made it clear that she doesn't like the 'no names' basis you are using. She might actually want to get to know you more and in that case, she may very well want to meet you too."

Ludwig couldn't help but grin. "Thank-you Kamek…" he motion to the door, and walked with him outside. "I just wish for one more opinion of you."

"Yes highness?"

"Do you think I should try to meet her?"

Kamek looked down at the boy and smiled again. "I think there can be no harm in trying."

* * *

**(A/N)Hmm… what'll happen next? Hope you all enjoy.**


	5. Chapter 5: A night she won't remember

** Warning: Rated T for mild drunkness :P**

**Five**

Peach clapped politely as the show was ended. The children of the Mushroom Kingdom came out on stage and bowed in front of their cheering audience. Every year they would celebrate the peace treaty between their land and that of the Yoshi islands with a party and a play by the children of both lands. The celebration lasted all day with the play breaking it up at lunch.

The princess sighed and got up from her seat to begin her royal duties once again. The play was always the same. It re-enacted the day when she had been kidnapped by Bowser and the Mario brothers had gone to Yoshi for help. It was a wonderful story but it got old after a while, just like a lot of things in her life.

"Peach, over here!"

She scanned the crowds of toadstools and yoshis for her cousin. It wasn't hard to spot her human friends amongst them. Daisy sat with the Mario brothers at a nearby picnic table waving for her to join them.

"Hello, it's nice to see you today." She said politely.

Daisy gave her a stern look. "Now Peach don't be giving me any of that 'perfect princess' junk." Although she tried to keep a straight face she soon broke into a smile. "Didn't think we'd come did yah?" she smirked.

"No I didn't…" Peach returned with mock carelessness. "Not that I would have minded…"

Daisy slapped her arm playfully, earning a drop-dead-glare from Peach's body guards. "Oh come on now, stop it." She smirked at them. "It's not like you've never wanted to give her a slap." The toadstools changed their expressions to that of horror. "Come on Peach, let's get out of here! You don't want to stay here all day do you?"

"Well…" She looked around at all the families. The celebration _was_ the same every year. Toadsworth _could_ take over from here. But she _did_ have to personally be there with Yoshi as the representative of her land. She shook her head. "I can't go. I have to stay here with Yoshi."

"Oh, a-Yoshi is-a comin' with-a us." Mario piped up with an encouraging smile.

Peach sighed and shook her head. "Oh, when are we all going to grow up? I can't just leave."

"Yes you can." Daisy grabbed her wrist and started dragging her away from the crowd.

Peach yelped in surprise but let her be taken away. She turned around and called to her guards. "Tell Toadsworth to continue on without me!" she smiled and followed along with her friends. Yoshi ran to join them and they continued away from the crowds.

After a strenuous game of three to two tennis-boys vs. girls-with girls as the victors, they went to Lookout Mountain and hiked up a trail. Peach had tried to keep her dress from becoming dirty but all too soon it was smudged with mud and she stopped caring. Half up the trail Daisy spotted a field of long grass and they walked around to it. There was a hill but down a bit there was flat leveled ground with a view of the Mushroom Kingdom and the setting sun into the distant ocean.

"Let's stop here." Peach suggested. The others agreed and she laid out their picnic blanket. Yoshi left to pick some flowers for a 'table' setting and Luigi and Daisy went to gather sticks for their fire. Peach began unpacking their dinner onto the blanket, humming joyfully as Mario cleared a spot for the fire. She watched him make a ring of large stones on his dirt patch with care and smiled. Mario may have been just a plumber but he was definitely a hard core camper at heart. Him and Luigi had been what they called 'Boy Scouts' as kids and had gone camping and hiking all the time. They had introduced the activities to Peach and Daisy as kids and they had since then loved it. Peach even took a bunch of toadstool kids out on a scouting trip and made small troops, she loved it so much.

She handed him his stone slab and he set it in the middle of the ring with a satisfied nod.

"What are we having tonight Peach?" Daisy asked, dumping a pile of sticks by Mario's fire pit.

"Yes-a, what are we-a having tonight?" Luigi chimed in, setting down a few larger logs.

She smiled mischievously, "That's for me to know and for you to find out." Honestly she didn't want to tell them that it was actually a dish from the Darklands that she had grown to love even if it was meat. She almost never ate meat, most people thought she was a vegetarian, but she never passed up a chance to have Venison strips smothered in mushroom gravy with a glass of Koopa-ale. Of course she never told them it was Koopa-ale: they would never forgive her. "Go on and find something to do, I'll get started on dinner." She said as Yoshi returned with a vase full of flowers.

She pulled the thin pounded pieces of meat from a brown paper bag and started to season them. The Darklands loved their seasonings. She had learned that early on. Although her visits were very unpleasant she couldn't deny that she loved the food that they gave her. Most of the time, she thought for sure that they served her heaven on a silver platter. When she finally was able to get home she would spend the first week hardly eating because she missed the flavor and beauty of the Darklandian cuisine (most people thought her lack of appetite was because of the latest kidnapping but that simply wasn't so).

She glanced at Mario as he finally started getting a good fire going. What would he think if he knew how often she thought of the Darklands in a _good_ way? There were so many good things about the Darklands; the food, music, technology, the people. The only problem she had with the Darklands, she had realized, was Bowser. Not even his children bothered him. She loved them all, despite their annoying antics and quirks. Ludwig was a little socially awkward but he was a musical genius! Iggy was a little deft and spoke loudly but he was smart and a great inventor. Roy was a bully but she had been able to find his soft side and he was really sweet. Larry and Lemmy, the twins, were mischievous troublemakers but were very good strategists. Wendy was a little vain and self centered at times but she was secretly very generous to homeless children and was an awesome friend. Morton Jr. was annoying and talked way too much but he was just a lonely little boy wanting attention. And Bowser Jr. tried to go along with everything his siblings did and was just the sweetest thing in the world.

She couldn't fathom how such amazing kids could have such a ruthless father. She shook her head and sighed.

"What's-a wrong-a?" Mario touched her shoulder.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Nothing, I was just thinking is all."

He knelt down behind her and wrapped his arms around her stomach. "Thinking about what?"

She shivered and pushed him back with her shoulders. "Now, now…I'm cooking, Mario… That kind of thing will have to wait." She heard him sigh and he got up.

"Need any help-a?" He asked, with a warm look in his eyes promising mischief for later.

"No, I'm fine. Go find Daisy and Luigi, and see if they want my special drink tonight." She smiled as his eyes lit up. He loved her 'special drink' and so did the others. She doubted they'd like it if they knew what it was though. She watched him leave and finished scrubbing her meat with spices and slapped them onto the stone in the middle of the fire. It sizzled as the blood wet meat touched the hot stone and splattered her skirt. "Shoot!" she stood up and looked down at herself with a sigh. "Well, I shouldn't have worn a dress." She reasoned with herself.

She sighed and started slicing some mushrooms. She didn't know why Mario hugging her bothered her so much. It just didn't feel right to her. She liked the attention and she was glad that he was her boyfriend now but it just didn't feel…right. He was a little shy about ever touching her, so she didn't tell him not to very often, but when he did she just felt awkward. Nothing had really happened between them yet, Mario never made a move to. Their relationship was just weird.

She started setting the plates out as her gravy was thickening when she heard the trees rustle behind her. She quickly turned around, expecting to see Bowser with an evil smile on his face but he was nowhere to be seen.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "I'm not in danger. My friends are here. He doesn't know where I am. He couldn't know. It's just the wind or a wild animal…" she saw her friends come running back to her and smiled in relief.

Daisy sat down next to her excitedly. "You won't believe what just happened to me!" she squealed, smiling as wide as ever.

Peach looked up, not totally shocked by her cousin's reaction but was a little surprised that she was soaked head to bare toe. "What happened?"

"I nearly drowned and Luigi had to perform CPR!" she laughed and rolled back onto the grass. She lay there hardly able to breathe because she was laughing so hard. "I almost died…" but she didn't seem too frazzled by it. She was grinning from ear to ear.

"You almost drowned? And you're laughing about it?" Peach gaped at her.

She giggled. "Yeah…"

Mario nudged Peach, bending down to whisper in her ear. "You should have-a seen her after-a it just-a happened."

Peach shook her head, and held up her hands. "I don't want to know…" she laughed.

* * *

The five of them lay in the grassy field looking up at the dark night sky. As kids they had often watched the sky and tried to find constellations. And sometimes like tonight they started making up some of their own. It was a game that even as adults they could enjoy (Although, they weren't very mature adults to begin with).

Mario pointed up with a chuckle. "Hey look, it Sir Butt-head-a-cuss." He let his hand fall back to his side. "Remember when we found him? That was an interesting night for all of us…"

Peach laughed lightly when she remembered, accidently spilling some Koopa-Ale as she tried to take a tipsy drink. "That was SO funny!"

"Yoshi! Yoshi! Yoshi!" Yoshi chirped, snapping a firefly up into his mouth with his tongue.

"You're-a right-a Yoshi." Luigi smiled, pulling Daisy closer to his side. "I-a finally-a got the guts to-a ask this-a lovely woman to go out-a with me."

Daisy sighed, "That was the best day of my life."

Peach sighed and set her Koopa-ale on the ground next to her.

"Are-a you gonna drink-a that?" Mario asked with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

"Naw…" she shook her head, slurring very un-princess like. "You take it."

She watched him empty the glass in one large gulp, smacking his lips after a satisfied sigh.

* * *

Peach clung to Mario's arm, laughing as they walked along a trickling brook alone. She was trying to stand up right but was too drunk to even walk a straight line. Mario was barely sober enough not to trip and make them both fall into the brook.

Splash!

Well, maybe he wasn't.

Peach shrieked and rolled over in the water towards Mario. She laughed at the look of confusion on his face.

"I could-a swore-a I was walking the-a other way…" he smiled when she laughed some more. "What's-a so funny?"

She moved a lock of wet hair out of her face and flashed him a brilliant smile. "I love you Mario." Did she just say that? She wanted to slap herself but at the same time she wanted to scream with joy. She felt so alive! She felt free to do whatever she pleased. She wanted to sing, dance, rejoice her final admitting of her feelings.

Mario looked at her with a childlike gaze. He moved closer to her, making the water slosh around as he reached out to pull her closer. It happened so quickly, Peach didn't know how to stop it. As he pulled her into his embrace she felt drawn to him, like it was so right. As her lips touched his she felt ice fingers clawing in her stomach. She leaned into him strangely wanting more. She had never kissed anyone on the lips before, it was strangely nice. Even sitting in the water with her dress soaking wet, there was no other place she wanted to be.

She jumped up, hearing a loud growl. Mario stood in front of her protectively as they faced the woods where the sound had come from. He stood his ground as firmly as he could while being drunk. She peaked around him hoping it wasn't but pretty sure it was what she thought it was.

There was a loud snap! She remembered a tree falling towards them. She was shoved away. She felt herself hit some hard rocks. She saw a hulking shadow approach her and everything went black…


	6. Chapter 6: Jealous Man but Good Father

** Six**

Bowser had seen enough. He had watched patiently for hours for the perfect chance to strike, his cover almost blown only once early on, and now was his chance. Only problem was, he was frozen in place. He couldn't rip his gaze away from the two sitting in the small stream with their mouths interlocked. He couldn't stop himself from staring in horror. For a long time he couldn't feel his own heart pounding in his chest and he feared it had indeed broken.

What had been mere seconds to Peach had been a long agonizing five minutes for him. He felt choked, completely unable to do anything. He breathed shakily and his eyes started to tear. _She couldn't have! She couldn't have just given away her first kiss to that stupid plumber!_ He wished he could look away, move, or say something but he just stared.

Finally regaining his senses he growled, deep and menacing. _I am going to kill him!_ He jumped up from his hiding place, slashing his claws through a tree trunk and watched it fall towards him. As it fell, he roared and emerged from the forest. He saw Mario push Peach out of the way and saw her fall and hit her head on the rocks but he almost didn't care…Almost…

He walked over to her. He wanted to shout. He wanted to scream his agony into the night. But he couldn't. He watched her look up at him in fear, her eyes became distant and then she blacked out. Fear. It was always fear! Every time she looked at him that's all he ever saw was her fear of him. He had never given her reason to fear him, other than kidnapping her. But he had never hurt her. He had never yelled at her directly. He hadn't done anything to her!

He turned his attention to the plumber lying beneath the branches of the trees. He had never asked to have him as his rival. He had never asked for him to come to 'rescue' princess Peach, destroy his castles, and hurt him. He never wanted it. On most days he even admitted that Mario was a good person. He was respectable, loyal, kind, and selfless. But seeing his hands all over Peach was crossing the line. That was Bowser's breaking point. He had had enough!

Breathing in deeply he released a steady jet of flame onto the tree over Mario. He wanted the man to burn. He wanted him to experience pain, real pain. But nothing he could ever do would ever make him feel the pain that they had just caused him. Nothing…

* * *

Sitting down in one of the hundreds of common rooms in the castle Bowser tried to calm his inner turmoil. Of course he had brought Peach back with him. He couldn't leave her there to possibly get all lovey-dovey over Mario again. In his opinion she needed some space away from him to get her mind right. Of course he knew she had been drunk. He'd been watching them for hours but it still made him mad to think about.

He had sent her with Kammy to her usual guest room. He would check on her later but at the moment he couldn't even bring himself to go to bed. He just sat on his armchair in front of a roaring fire place in the otherwise dark room to think about what happened. He barely even noticed when his eldest son, Ludwig, came in and sat down across from him.

"Father?"

"What is it Ludwig?" he asked, keeping the anger out of his voice perfectly but not able to disguise his pain.

Ludwig, upon hearing his father's tone, quickly stood up. "Nothing of consequence father, it can wait. I can see you are wanting to be alone." He started backing up.

Bowser looked up at his son. "No, Ludwig sit down." He motioned at the chair. "Ask what you want to ask. I could actually really use the company right now. And you are always free to ask me anything no matter what I want. Despite what _some_ think, I'll always be here for you."

"Are you certain you do not mind father?" Ludwig watched him nod and then sat down slowly. They both watched the fire for a moment, listening to the silence. Finally Ludwig spoke up. "Father, will you be arranging a marriage for me?"

Bowser's eyes snapped up and his muscles clenched, but he managed to keep his tone calm and smooth. "No…I will never make you go through what I had to. You will not be forced into a marriage and you will only take the throne when you are ready for it."

Ludwig sighed in relief and slumped back in the chair, something he almost never did. Bowser raised an eyebrow in amusement, momentarily forgetting his own troubles. "What's going on Ludwig?" he asked with a sly smile. "Did you find someone you like?"

Ludwig gave one of his rare smiles. "I believe I might have chanced upon it father. I desire your permission to invite her here." He unconsciously crossed his fingers, a habit no one had the heart to tell him of since he was a little boy.

"Boy, if you like this girl by all means invite her here!" he sat forward a little bit. "How did you meet her?"

"Quite by chance actually, the mail-koopa delivered her letter to me by accident." He paused. "I suppose I have not yet met her exactly but we've been writing letters to each other for a few months now… Is that a bad way to meet someone, father?"

Bowser shrugged slightly. "I'm afraid I wouldn't know Ludwig. But I'm happy that you're happy."

Ludwig gave a completely honest look of gratitude. "My thanks, Father."

Bowser gave him a nod and looked back at the fire.

"Father...might I inquire to why you seem so distracted?" he asked.

The Koopa King sighed and looked down at the floor. "I brought Peach here today." He admitted. "And I might have also killed Mario…"

"What?" Ludwig's uncharacteristic outburst was almost expected. Even his own son knew that Bowser never wanted to hurt Mario, no matter what he did to them.

The king shook his head. "It all happened so quickly, and I was so mad… I don't know what happened to him, I didn't stay long enough for the others to show up." He looked up to see his son's concerned expression.

"What happened?" he asked.

He sighed slowly. "I lost control, over something really stupid but at the same time it wasn't. I really care for her… you know that, she knows it…everyone in our lands knows it! I want her to be happy and cared for but, when I saw her with him I just…" he stopped, not wanting to elaborate what had transpired. "Ludwig, don't be a jealous man, it only causes pain."

His son nodded as he took the advice. "I'm sorry father."

He smiled sadly. "Don't be: you have no reason to be sorry. I just hope that you find nothing but happiness with this girl you found. I don't want you to ever have to go through these things I have to. Tip: Don't fall in love with someone who thinks of you as dirt between her fingernails."

That drew a small laugh out of his son. "I won't father, you have my solemn oath."

"Good, now you'd best be off to bed: its late." He yawned, making a small roaring sound.

"Actually father, its seven o'clock in the morning…" Ludwig corrected him. "I came to get you for breakfast."

"What?" glancing over at a grandfather clock he saw that the boy was telling the truth. "Well, what do you know?" he chuckled quietly. "Time sure flies when you're thinking hard about stuff. Alright, I'll be right there. You kids get started without me, I have an annoying pink headache to take care of first." He almost grimaced at the thought of facing her with the hangover she was surely having.

"Yes father…" Ludwig quickly left, obviously eager to get the day started.

Bowser sighed tiredly and stood up. Sure he probably should go see Peach but unlike almost every time he saw her, he had no desire to see her at all.

He took his time wandering down the corridor to Peach's room. He was in no hurry. He looked over the highly decorated halls of his main castle. Red drapes, torches and statues were everywhere. His actual castle was decorated much like all his other ones but he appreciated it more than them. The other castles were all decorated with magic, where his castle was made with genuine care and actual art. Any magic-koopa could recreate something but it took real skill to create the real thing.

Some things about his castle stayed in his castle, never to be seen by others, like the Mario Brothers. Family portraits from his ancestors to his own children adorned the walls. When he thought about it, he didn't like Mario anywhere near his family. The few times his children got involved in his recreational activities they got hurt. He always tried to keep them away from that destructive plumber.

Soon he was standing outside her door. He knocked twice on the door. "Highness, I know you already know how this works but just so we're clear: You are to stay in your room until Mario or some other person arrives at hinted castle. Then I will take you there and you will go home. You're meals will be brought to you and you may only have visitors occasionally." He didn't hear any reply. "Now that the formalities are taken care of, I have more important things to do today…" he turned around and almost left but stopped when he remembered what he had originally come for. "Later today, someone will be by to take you somewhere. I suggest you listen to them and just go along with it _princess_."

Wandering down the halls a little further he came to Junior's room, the only one of his kids he knew was still in bed. He knocked before entering the darkened room. He looked around wondering why the boy had put out the lights. His answer came when he heard a small huffing of breath. "I told you not to try breathing fire right now Junior…" he said calmly, turning on an electrical lamp.

Junior's eyes grew wide and he smiled happily from where he was sitting on his bed. He spread his arms out in welcome. "King-Daddy!"

Bowser sat down next to his son on the bed, looking at him with concern. "How are you feeling today, Junior?"

"King-Daddy, I'm bored!" Junior pouted.

The Koopa King almost smirked. "I know Junior, but you have to stay in bed until you get better." He touched the boy's forehead, checking his temperature. Koopas were normally hot but in his feverish state he was reaching dangerous levels. "I promise as soon as you get better you can go play with your brothers and Wendy as much as you want."

"King-Daddy, is mama Peach going to come see me today?" Junior looked hopeful.

"She might…" he looked away for a moment, becoming a little crestfallen.

Junior slid out from his bed sheets and crawled closer to him, snuggling up to his side. "Why are you sad, daddy?"

Bowser smiled and hugged his son closer to him. "I'm not sad Junior, I'm just a little tired is all." He half lied. He didn't want to elaborate his problems to his youngest.

Junior coughed into his hand, a high rumbling cough. Bowser patted him on his shell-less back, helping him finish the ungodly cough. Junior nestled up closer to him. "I love you daddy…" he mumbled tiredly, nuzzling his arm.

He bent down and kissed the boy's fevered forehead. "I love you too Junior…"

Junior jumped up suddenly, "Read me a story daddy?"

He sighed. "I can't right now Junior. I have meetings to go to."

The boy looked down disappointedly. "Oh…"

Bowser stood up but immediately sat back down. "Ah heck, I can skip breakfast to read you a story." Junior brightened up. "Which one do you want me to read?"

The young prince pounced off of the bed and ran to his bookshelf, taking out a bright red book. He ran back to his bed, jumped up and held the book out to him.

Bowser took the book and read the cover. "Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Goomba… Alright, but you have to stay in bed Junior. You can't be jumping up and running around like that if you want to get better." He set the book aside and tucked the sheets back around Junior. The boy nestled snugger in his blankets and stared at him expectantly.

"Alright, here we go." Bowser cleared his throat. "Once upon a time, there was a young girl named Little Red Riding Hood…"

* * *

** Aww.. :) next Chapter up soon...**


	7. Chapter 7: To the Darklands at last

**Seven**

Raven looked over the letter with a smile. She had received it just moments after she left the castle boundaries for her mission to the Darklands. The Conductor had written a lot sooner than she had expected him to, but she supposed that maybe he had wanted to contact her before she had left or something.

Without opening it she stashed it into her backpack. She would save it for later, when she needed the encouragement as she soon always did with these missions. Now with some more gathered information she knew what she had to do. She had three days to prepare herself after she reached the Darklands. Her mission was to assassinate the heir to the throne and steal a piece to the main power generator for the Darklands. Simple. Easy-peasy. Get in, kill someone she didn't even know, steal something and get out. All of that was to be done within one week.

She had done more strenuous and dangerous things but this particular mission felt a little more nervous than usual. In fact, the fact that she was nervous scared her: She was never nervous or scared. She didn't know why this was unsettling her but it was. It was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that something bad was going to happen.

She sighed tiredly and started walking again. She decided to travel by plane this time. Usually on a trip to the Darklands she just took a few days to walk there, to help keep her name off of the list of suspects. Their lands were joined closely but she felt too tired to walk that far to the actual Darklandian castle. So this time she had booked a flight to and from the Darklands. But she had to cover her tracks: she made it look like she transferred planes in the Darklands, when she would actually stay and do her dirty work and then walk back home…maybe catch a cab.

* * *

Once the plane touched down, she started getting the anxious pit in her stomach. The evil part of her that loved watching the life drain from her victim's eyes started to awaken. She was a well trained assassin and proud of it. She had never failed a mission. Never had a target escaped her, and even more impressive, she was never caught. She was a ghost, a shadow. She was there then she was gone. Whether it was poison or a long range gunshot to the head, she was the best at what she did.

She went over the plan excitedly in her head. This time she would be up against a koopa prince but no ordinary koopa, a Dragon Koopa. She didn't really know what he looked like all she knew was his approximate height, his hair color, and his eye color. She didn't know his name but she knew that he was the oldest of the King's sons.

Shouldering her backpack she walked inconspicuously off of the small plane onto the runway. She saw the plane she was supposed to transfer to and headed in the opposite direction. Today was her day to relax and get to know her surrounding area. When she left the airport she found a taxi to take her into town.

* * *

When she finally was able to find a motel that would accept cash, and even then they checked to see if it was fake, she settled down in her room. It was dark and a little musty but homey compared to some places she had been before. She nodded with approval and dumped the contents of her backpack on the small bed in the corner of the room.

She smiled at her large collection of new daggers. Airport security was a little lax but she couldn't sneak knives through the x-rays, so she had to buy new knives every trip. But poisons and other concoctions were easier to smuggle. Make it look like a substance, swap the contents of the bottle and carefully reseal the package and you had poison wrapped up in a nice container of mouthwash…

She shook her head. A few times she had been caught with the bottles not completely sealed but she wasn't too set back when they took the bottles away from her. She could use almost anything as a weapon. She smiled again when she remembered the time she found a pencil on the floor in a fight with her target and she used that to stab him in the neck. Blood was everywhere…

She lay down on the bed, feeling a bit queasy. She loved her job. But that much blood had been a bit much even for her.

She sighed and got up to look in the mirror. Straitening her black hair and pulling it into a pony tail she looked herself over. She had three days to learn the layout of the town and find a way into the castle. Three days to have some fun. She smiled and flattened the wrinkles in her long sleeve black shirt and black pants. Clipping a necklace on, she smiled at her reflection trying to look like a harmless civilian. And it worked.

Pulling her pant leg up, she strapped a dagger to her ankle, in case of an emergency.

Looking at herself for a last check she began to feel that deep sense of regret in her gut. There were so many scars. Most of them were hidden by her clothes but she knew that they were there. The only one in sight was a long one down her neck where a struggling woman had tried to decapitate her only to slice a thin line from the side of her cheek down to her collar bone. She wished she could get rid of them. At times they didn't bother her but at others they did.

She had started thinking about the way she looked a lot more since… Well since she started writing letters to the Conductor. Ever since she realized she wasn't as flawless as she used to be she would tear herself down about it.

She shook her head. Why should she care about it? It hadn't bothered her before, why should it now? She knew the answer but only called herself stupid names because of it. _I'm never even going to meet the guy! He's too secretive. He doesn't want to meet me anyways! So stop caring, you stupid girl!_

* * *

There was silence in the crowd that she sat in. Everyone waited with bated breath, watching the bright stage from the dark audience. A concert. That's where she was at. She had long wanted to hear an orchestra and with her free time she found out that a young man conducted an orchestra every few weeks for the people of the Darklands and she was just in time to see it.

She uncrossed her legs as the young Koopa came onto the stage. He didn't look at the crowd, only looking at his music sheets. As he instructed the orchestra, Raven listened to with rapt attention. She couldn't think of anything else. She could only listen in awe. Unmoving and hardly breathing, she listened to the poetic rhythm of the music.

She felt it captivate her; tell her stories of good and evil times, of sadness and great joy. She felt that she could listen forever but it ended all too soon. She didn't move from her spot as the others filed away. She watched the Conductor of the music speaking with his assembled musicians and gathering up his papers. She didn't know what made her do it but she felt herself walking up to him.

She paused at the edge of the stage looking up at him. She didn't say anything, instead waited to be recognized. She saw one of the musicians nudge his Conductor and motioned towards Raven. The Koopa turned and looked down at her.

Raven, suddenly finding herself unable to speak, tried desperately to not look like a fool. "I-ah…" she searched for something to say. "That was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard…"

"I'm pleased that you enjoyed it." He said dismissively, as if he didn't really believe her. He turned to get back to work but she spoke up again.

"No, I'm being serious. I've never heard anything like that before." She walked a little closer to the stage. "Sir, I am being honest with my compliment. I come from a place where music is outlawed-" that got the young man's attention, "-I am very serious when I say that that was the most…beautiful thing I have ever heard."

The Koopa took her in for a moment, as if pondering if she was worth his time, and then smiled good-naturedly. "It is good to know that some people can be entirely honest still." He jumped down from the stage, gracefully landing next to her. "The name is Ludwig. It is a pleasure to meet you miss-?"

"R-Raven…"

"Raven…" he seemed to think about it and then brush it aside in his mind. "It is nice to find that someone else can enjoy the art of music. Not many do anymore I'm afraid."

She nodded, "I totally understand. A lot of people where I come from don't even know what music is." Ludwig looked almost horrified. "Yeah, I know crazy right?" She paused, just realizing that they had started walking around the once crowded seats to the exit of the auditorium. "The thing is-I've never heard anything like that before. It felt so…" she tried to find the words to describe it but all of them fell short of what she felt. "…alive… It was wonderful. I feel like I should thank you for that."

"Well, you are welcome and thank you: it is hard to come by a true compliment nowadays." He opened the door for her and they stepped outside. "Perhaps you could come back. I am putting the final touches on a piece that I will reveal in a few days… I would hope to see you there."

She smiled. "That would be amazing. I hope I can be there."

"Well then," he took her hand in one of his own and kissed it, "until we meet again Miss Raven."

Raven felt butterflies in her stomach as she started walking away. She had never met someone like that before and she really hoped that she could see him again…

* * *

** Ugh. They've met and they don't even know it! (evil Bowser Laugh) stay tuned... :)**


	8. Chapter 8: WakeyWakey!

** Eight**

Peach groaned at the knock on her door. Raising her head up from her very much drooled on pillow case, she looked at the door. "Come in!" she called, sitting up and brushing her fingers through her hair, trying to look less like the mess she was. She had a headache the size of a Clown-Copter and the memory of a butterfly regarding the last night's events. _Bowser must have poisoned me_... She concluded with a small nod to herself.

A small koopa maid with a pink shell entered the room with a brilliant smile. "Good afternoon your Highness." She said, going to the window to open the curtains. Peach quickly shut her eyes as the new light flooded into the room. "Looks like, someone was up too long last night." The koopa commented, seeing Peach's sleepy state. "Come on Princess, let's go."

"What? But I'm not dressed." Peach tried to object but found her being dragged to the door.

"Oh, but princess you are dressed." The maid pointed out.

Peach looked down at herself and nearly fainted at the sight. She was a mess! Her dress was grass-stained and she was covered in mud. Her shoes were gone and so were her gloves. She glanced in the mirror and nearly screamed. Her hair was caked with mud and dried leaves and was all tangled. Her usually perfectly applied lipstick was smeared (how, she had no idea) and she had muck all over her.

"Come along Princess!" the maid urged.

"I can't go out like this!" Peach tried to pull away but the young koopa had an iron grip. "I look horrible!"

"Oh, I don't think Junior will mind. He's just so excited that you're here! With him being sick and all he's really lonely and-."

"Wait! What? Junior's sick?" Peach was finally able to rip free of the koopa and went to the bathroom to at least wash the makeup off.

The maid waited impatiently at the door. "Yes, he's come down with a bad case of something. I don't know much about it, I'm just a maid, but it's pretty serious. It's the reason his highness brought you here, Junior asked him too. Didn't he tell you that?" when Peach merely shook her head the maid sighed. "His absolute-horridness-King Bowser has restricted Junior to his room for some much needed bed rest about two days ago, and the poor boy was so lonely and he wanted to see you so badly King Bowser couldn't refuse him."

Peach visibly rolled her eyes at that. _Not like he would've thought twice about it if Junior didn't suggest it_… she thought to herself as she combed the knots out of her golden hair.

"Come on, come on!" the koopa tapped her foot impatiently.

* * *

The stone floor was so cold against her bare feet sending painful chills up her legs. The path the maid took her down was in a part of the castle she had never been in before. The walls were lined with torches and decorated with paintings of all sorts, mostly of past Koopa royal families. There were several doors leading to where she could only guess. She had been taken to this castle every couple of weeks ever since she was a little girl and had only learned a little bit of the Darklandian language. She could understand it just fine but when it came to reading she could only guess.

She thought that they passed a few rooms with names on the doors but she couldn't tell. She heard many ungodly noises coming from one that she passed; something in-between a screech, gurgle and a drip. At the sound of a boom, Peach jumped as someone stumbled out of the room coughing.

Iggy collapsed to his hands and knees in his coughing fit, waving the smoke coming from the room away from him, completely ignoring Peach staring at him in stunned horror. He coughed again looking back into the room as Kamek too came stumbling out.

"I think-" Kamek coughed, "-the formula may need some more work your highness."

Iggy nodded, "I agree completely, Kamek." He quickly shut the door to trap the smoke. "When do you suppose it will be safe to go back in there?"

"A week maybe," he started cleaning his glasses on the hem of his sleeve, "perhaps two."

"Drat!" he sighed, "Looks like I'll have to crash with Larry and Lemmy again until it clears up… Princess Peach? What are you doing here?"

Peach shook herself and regained a less shocked expression.

Iggy snapped his fingers. "Oh wait, I remember! You're here to see Junior aren't you?"

She nodded somewhat dumbly.

He wiped something black off of his face on a towel that Kamek gave to him and smiled. "Take ten, Cindee: I'll take her from here." He gave the maid a small wink and she blushed, scurrying away as fast as she could. He sighed and turned back to his father's advisor. "Can I do the further research in one of your labs until the room clears up?"

Kamek smiled good-naturedly. "Of course you can your highness."

He nodded his thanks and started leading Peach farther down the hall. "Junior will be so excited that you're here. We all try to visit him as much as we can but he's still so lonely all the time…"

"What's wrong with him? I mean, I know he's sick but with what?" she tried not to sound rude.

Iggy looked at her like she should already know. "He's actually sick with a flu and burn-throat. Hasn't father told you already?"

"No, I haven't seen Bowser since he took me… Actually I don't remember him taking me either, so I haven't actually seen him…"

Iggy nodded. "Yeah, I'm not totally surprised. From what Ludwig told me, father isn't very happy with you." When she gave him a confused look he tried to elaborate. "He doesn't want to see you for some reason. Ludwig said that you made him really mad, so mad as to even possibly _kill_ Mario."

Peach scoffed. "He's always wanted to kill Mario, not like he could anyways. I don't think he's acting any different now than he has the past hundred times he's brought me here…"

Iggy shook his head and sighed. "Princess, have you ever considered that you don't know our father at _all_?"

"I think I know my adversary very well Iggy…" she said firmly.

The boy sighed again and motioned towards the door they stopped in front of. "Well, here's Junior's room. If you can't find your way back to your room there are plenty of servants in these halls. One of them can direct you back." Without another word, he left her there.

Peach knocked on the door politely and waited for a reply. When no reply was forthcoming she hesitantly reached for the door knob. "Junior?" She said softly, as she opened the door and stepped into the particularly large room. She looked around trying to make sense of the mess of papers at her feet. Many of them sported poorly drawn pictures of Bowser beating up Mario (which made her cringe) while others featured drawings of her and Bowser and the rest of the Koopalings _together as a family_ (which made her cringe even more).

"Mama Peach!" Junior jumped up from his hundred and fifty-seventh drawing and ran to hug her. "Mama Peach, I went to the doctor yesterday and I wasn't afraid!" he looked up at her proudly.

She smiled lovingly and stooped down to sweep him up in her arms. Junior, still being relatively small, was somewhat easier for her to carry back to the bed (but he was still heavy). She plopped him back onto the covers and started to tickle him. He laughed very soon, making his unusual gurgling sound that always made her laugh in return.

He scurried away from her, quickly burrowing under his blanket in an attempt to hide from her.

"Hmm… Where could he have gone?" She sat down on the bed and fake thought about it. She heard him giggle to himself and suddenly grabbed his feet, dragging him out. "Gotcha!" he squealed in delight when she hauled him into a warm hug.

He snuggled close to her, burying his face into her neck. "I missed you Mama Peach…"

"I missed you too, sweetheart." She kissed his forehead and held him closer.

* * *

It was a few hours before _he_ came in to disturb them. Peach did her best to ignore him as he stood in the doorway. She held Junior close to her on the bed as she read him a story he had begged her to. Although she didn't look at the King directly, as he was waiting ever so patiently, she recognized his posture of "Wrap it up".

She sighed when she heard a sleep filled snore beside her, and set the book aside. She got up, careful not to disturb the boy, and tucked him under his blankets. "Goodnight Junior." She whispered and started out the door obediently. She purposely didn't look at Bowser as she walked by and past him down the hallway.

"Where do you think you're going?" he demanded.

She mentally turned on her perfect princess talk. "I was told that after I visited Junior I was to head straight back to my room." She automatically knew to dodge his hand on her shoulder and continued down the hall. "I don't need your help finding my way back either so leave me alone!" she quickened her pace, slightly regretting not having shoes on.

"You should know by now that you can never get away from me, _princess_. Get used to it!" he grabbed her forearm and pulled her to a stop. "I need to talk to you." His voice was firm and held even a little malice.

She spun around to face him suddenly. She glared at him coldly. "You could have just told me that Junior was sick! I would have come to see him."

Bowser scoffed. "Honestly Peach, would you have believed me?" he stared down at her until she was forced to avert her gaze. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Even for his sake you would have never willingly come with me."

"You could have at least told me!" she persisted, but only half heartedly.

He growled, releasing her. "Get back to your room."

Peach watched him turn away in disbelief, he must have been up to something if that's all he was going to say. Suddenly, almost against her will, she took a few steps toward him. "Wait!" he turned back to her, almost curiously but still with a hint of anger or frustration (she couldn't really tell). "What was it you wanted to tell me?"

He shook his head. "It is nothing… Just-" he tried not to look at her. "-If I were you I wouldn't be expecting your _precious_ Mario to come for you this time…"

"What, why-" she suddenly had a horrifying idea. "-what did you do to him?" he didn't answer, only turned away and continued in his first direction. "Bowser, I swear if you did anything to him-!"

She watched him, but he didn't react except for a small twitch and then he disappeared around the corner.

* * *

Daisy jumped up as Luigi and the doctor came out of the white room. The look on their faces didn't assure her any. She quickly threw her arms around Luigi in a tight hug. He was slow to return the gesture, obviously still in shock from the whole ordeal.

She turned her attention to the doctor. "Is he going to be alright Doc T?"

The pure white capped toadstool looked at the charts he held with a shaky sigh. "I'm afraid… I think only time will tell... He had many broken bones, burns, internal bleeding… I'm beginning to think that if he didn't have so many one-up mushrooms at ready disposal he would already be dead."

Daisy could feel Mario's green clad brother shake in her arms.

"He-a doesn't look-a good, Daisy…" he locked eyes with her, betraying every thought he had. She knew that Luigi was certain of his brother's demise…


	9. Chapter 9: It was a dark quiet night

** Nine**

It was dark out, in the streets of the Darklands. The dark silhouette crept up to the front gates of the castle, as silently as death itself. Catching the gate unprotected, in between the changes in the guard, it climbed up it and onto the outer wall. It settled into a crouch and scanned the inner area of the castle courtyard. There were trees, statues and several benches. It was perfect cover for a quick sprint across to the inner gate.

Torch light was a major problem. Though the castle seemed to be kept fairly dark, all the pieces of light were placed at the very best places they could be. Plus the torch light, there was a giant bon fire to the right of the inner gate, with many of the Koopa Patrol around it. That would prove to be a very difficult task in itself to pass them unnoticed, but it wasn't impossible.

Raven took a steadying breath and jumped from the first wall down to the ground. It came into contact with her ready feet quickly, forcing her to duck and roll to avoid breaking her legs. It felt hard but she knew that she hadn't made a sound. She glanced at the Koopa Patrol and saw that no one had seen the black streak breaking their defenses.

She glanced across the courtyard again. Now at the ground level, she began plotting out her course across the perfectly lit yard.

She noted a guard walking in her general direction and knew that she didn't have much time. With an intake of breath she darted behind a large bush, hidden from all view, and waited for two seconds before running to the first statue. She edged around it as the patrol guard walked along his path. When he had passed she looked on to the next stretch of ground. _Three small bushes, two benches and no statues, great…_ she mentally slapped herself for choosing her current route.

She looked up at the dark and mucky looking sky for a moment. She couldn't help but think about the letter she had stored in her secrete pocket in her black pants. She didn't know why she felt she should bring it but she did. She really did feel queasy about the mission at hand. She was about to murder the son of one of the most feared kings of all time, who wouldn't be scared out of their minds? Of course that wasn't anything new, but she truly felt that she wouldn't just walk away from this one.

She shook herself, bringing her back to the mission. She jumped to the first bush and rolled under the first bench as a patrol came by. When his back turned, she ducked in between the last two bushes. Waiting with baited breath, she watched the three guards still by the bon fire. When the one that had almost seen her looked away, she darted under the cover of the second bench mere feet from where the second gate stood.

There she waited. She needed that guard to stop following her movements. Sure if he was smarter he would have probably already come over the check it out, but he seemed only mildly suspicious. _Look away-look away -look away you stupid koopa_! She pleaded with her mind: If she had to kill someone this early, she would be discovered for sure.

Suddenly, he looked away and she jumped at the opportunity. She printed across the gap between her and the second wall. Not slowing down when she neared the wall she took three long steps up it. Quickly grabbing two knives from her belt she sunk them into the softer concrete, connecting the wall together.

She hung there for a moment, making extra sure that no one had seen her. She saw that she was only a shadow to them, as usual. She flicked her feet in a forward motion, unleashing her boot-blades (as she liked to call them). She stabbed them into the wall to steady herself as she removed one of her hand held blades.

Slowly she climbed up the high wall. One painfully quiet stab at a time, she crawled her way to the very top, where she rolled over the edge.

Sitting there at the top, with her back resting against the rock, she stretched her cramped muscles. She carefully stashed her boot-blades back so they wouldn't click on the floor and continued on her way.

She crept along the upper wall at a steady walk. More than once, she had to hang from the wall by her fingertips to avoid a guard. But she was always able to pull herself up and get going again. She soon found a ladder to take down to the ground, being that it was definitely too far down for her to jump and not break something. She slid down it, barely holding onto it with insides of her feet and her hands. She gripped it suddenly before she hit the ground, to muffle her sound.

She was in. Finally! She took a deep breath and traipsed on. The innermost courtyard was the most protected that she could see but she still found a way into the castle itself: a service entrance for the maids. It was so simple, there was only one guard and he looked very bored.

She quickly stashed her blades away and walked over to the koopa, coolly and calmly with a pleasant smile. "Hey…"

He looked at her and grunted. "New Intern?"

"Yeah…" she laughed quietly, trying to sound embarrassed.

He nodded and pointed over his shoulder. "Sleeping quarters are down the hall to the left. The rest of the maids will direct you."

"Thanks." She pranced by him, mentally rolling her eyes at his stupidity.

The halls were dark. Stone almost dark enough to be the shade of black lined the halls. But every few yard there were statues holding torches to brighten the paths enough to see. She walked along silently, her boots padding lightly on the ground.

By studying a somewhat accurate floor plan, she was able to navigate the palace with ease. Once she got to the above ground levels and out of the servant passage she found her way around to the library. From there she headed up to where she thought the sleeping rooms were.

She shook her head, still unsure who her target was. She had heard that King Bowser had eight children, which one was she supposed to annihilate? She couldn't be for sure until she got up there. She may not have known the person, but she knew where he slept and that was almost just as good.

As she traveled farther into the castle she felt the air become drastically hotter. She almost regretted wearing all long sleeves and black, but told herself that it was necessary if she was to keep her identity concealed.

Before she knew it, she was there. She rounded the corner and she could see her destination. The third door down on the left, it was so close. She glanced around her, looking for escape routes but found unfortunately that the only way out was the way she came, unless there was a window or balcony in the prince's room itself.

She took a quick steadying breath, sliding her mask over her face, and slipped into the unlocked room without a sound.

It was dark and quiet. Acting on instinct, she hid behind a piece of furniture to assess the situation. The room was big, with instruments in literally every corner of the room. There was a desk that was littered with paper and a bed that was vacant. (The only thing that pleased her was that there was a balcony in case of an emergency).

She stared at the empty bed. _What is this guy, a party man? It's nearly two o'clock in the morning! He should be asleep_… she moved to a more tactical position, just beside the door frame, and waited.

After almost an hour she let her mind begin to wander to the letter in her pocket. She knew it was kind of stupid to bring it along but she hadn't read it yet. She was half tempted to take it out and read it then but something seemed to tell her that now wasn't the right time. She patted the envelope in her pocket and swapped sides of the door to relieve her tired feet. She hated waiting for a victim to arrive; it made her feel out of control.

Suddenly, she heard faint footsteps in the hall and braced herself. She heard the crinkling of paper and the footsteps stop outside the door. The person outside was humming absentmindedly to himself and didn't hear her intake of breath as he opened the door into his room.

He walked right passed her to his desk, where he set a stack of papers aside. She moved to shadow him. Not making a sound, she drew a blade from her wrist strap beneath her sleeve. He twitched as a small rip was made on her sleeve when the blade caught it. _Fie_! She pounced as he turned around to face her.

He let out a surprised yelp as he was tackled to the ground. She swept a kick at his head, knocking him around a little bit to gain the upper hand. He quickly covered his face before she could slice at his eyes and pushed her away with a roar. She did a back flip and landed on her feet again with cat like grace.

She jumped onto the bed and attempted to jump over him to his backside, but he shot a jet of flame towards her, making her jump to the balcony. Fire alarms started going off inside as their struggle continued. She heard a bell ring and realized that her presence was discovered. _They must have Magic-Koopas._ She thought as she sliced the prince's collar bone. _So close_!

She felt a pulling sensation on her face and claws dig into her flesh. With a small reaction from the pain she pushed in closer to the koopa, accidentally removing her mask but got in past his guard. She pushed him up against the wall and held the knife at his throat.

That's when she realized it.

"No… no! Not you!" she backed away slowly, dropping her weapon. She saw his equally shocked expression and felt her gut clench. It was that composer: Ludwig. "Not you…" she turned heal and fled, jumping over the balcony edge to one below. The last she saw of him was his terrified eyes as she heard him shout.

"Kamek!"

Landing on the concrete ground she started running. She pushed through a room decorated in pink, past a human woman with blonde hair who screamed at the sight of her, and out into the hallway.

The flame torches seemed to be brighter now. She tried to hide from the Koopa Patrol but in all ways she turned she failed. She was being chased by a squadron now. Her heart was pounding. Her lungs were burning. She felt her strength failing her.

But she emerged outside. She ran at the first wall, past a group of guards who hadn't gotten the memo, and sank her knives into it. Climbing it like she had the way in she almost made it to the top before she felt something pierce into her side. She screamed in pain, she could feel the blood running from her side her vision was beginning to cloud with blood from her scuffle with the prince. She lost her grip on her hand holds for a moment but quickly pulled herself up onto the wall.

She ran down its length trying to avoid enemy fire. She heard a 'pop', saw a cloud of purple and felt two hands grip each of her wrists. Before she could turn to see them there was another 'pop' and she was somewhere else entirely. Dark, damp walls surrounded her. The room was coated in mold and at one entrance there was a barred door.

A dungeon.

She gasped in horror and pain. She had been captured. She knew something bad was going to happen she had just known it. And now it was even worse then she had thought.

Hugging her arm around her side, she sat down in the corner of the cell and waited for the death sentence that surely awaited her…

* * *

** Ha! Cliffhanger! You'll just have to wait to see what happens. I have a lot of editting to do in the next Chapters so there might not be any new ones up in a while...maybe. Knowing my obsessive self about writing I might just post the next chapter within the week. :P**

***sigh* we'll se what happens. :)**


	10. Chapter 10: Hidden facts come to light

** Ten**

Bowser heard the alarm and jumped up from the papers he was signing. Before he could even reach the door, Kamek popped up beside him.

"Everything's alright sire." He said quickly.

"What's going on? What happened?" He demanded. The last time that alarm had gone off was when three of his children were rushed to the hospital. And the time before that was when Ludwig had gone into a coma. Nothing good ever came after hearing that alarm bell. "Is someone hurt?" his heart started to race at the unknown.

"Calm down sire, as I said, everything is alright." He held up his hands, to stop the King from storming past him. He turned around slowly and walked with Bowser out into the hall. "No one is hurt, but-" he paused when his king gave him a terrified look. "-sir, no one is hurt…. But as I was saying- you need to come see Ludwig right away."

"Kamek. What's. Wrong? Just tell me!" he felt like he had to practically beg.

The old koopa sighed. "Someone tried to assassinate him."

"WHAT!" before he could take off down the hall, Kamek grabbed his arm and teleported them across the castle to Ludwig's bedroom.

"Ludwig?"

The prince sat in the corner of the room, hiding behind the bed while rocking back and forth. Bowser crept forward slowly, watching the boy's eyes. He seemed to look distant, which wasn't new by any means, but this look was unnerving. His eyes looked dead of all emotion. But tears seemed to threaten to fall.

Bowser turned back to his trusted advisor. "What's wrong with him?"

Kamek blocked his path to the boy. "Sire, I know this looks bad but you should know…" he paused when the prince murmured something incoherent to himself. "…this has been going on for a long time."

"What do you-?"

Kamek cut him off quickly. "Let me explain sire."

"Please do…"

"Do not be angry with him, sire, he didn't want you to know. He made me promise not to speak of these episodes with you." Kamek bit his lip in a nervous fashion. "It started _years_ ago, when he was able to see that something was wrong between you and Clawdia. He was about three when his first incident occurred. I didn't think much of it at the time; I mean what kid wouldn't be shocked at that age if he saw his parents in a full blown fight? He seemed to be having an emotional breakdown, but he got over it quickly. It didn't pop up again for a while, so I thought it was over with…" he sighed, "I couldn't have been more wrong. The next time it happened was when he saw Clawdia almost kill you-" he pointed to the scar running over the King's eye. "-when she gave you that, when he was about five years old… I swear the boy aged ten years that day.

"After Clawdia was put to death, things didn't get any better. He was plagued with nightmares about her and you. He would wake in the middle of the night in screaming fits and then be almost like this for hours after." He shook his head sadly.

"It's been a while since he's had any dreams that lead to this but there are smaller reactions that have happened. Sometimes he has nervous episodes, he had one recently actually but that wasn't bad at all. But most of his troubles have been with public and peer views. When someone made fun of him, calling him gay, he was thrown into one of these fits for almost eight hours straight. I don't know exactly what causes it, or what it is, but I think Ludwig is the most emotionally unstable of all your children."

Bowser looked at his eldest son, shaking fitfully and still talking to himself. "How long will he stay like this?" he asked.

Kamek looked quite sad. "I don't know. Nothing this bad has ever happened before, I wouldn't be surprised if he-if he…" he took in a deep breath. "-if this causes him to lose his mind… He's been driven to the brink of insanity I think, Sire."

He slowly approached his son. Ludwig didn't even glance in his direction as he sat down beside him. It was as if he was trapped in his own little world. "Is there any way we can help him?"

Kamek nodded. "Music helps, familiar sounds and smells. He also snaps-to quicker if you talk with him. But sire-" he looked at him very sternly, "-don't say anything to upset him. He reverts to a very child like state of mind, and almost anything serious or stern sends him deeper into the void."

Bowser nodded. "Ludwig?" he touched the boy's shoulder. "Can you hear me?"

The prince took in a shallow breath and twitched.

"It's okay son. Everything will- everything will be alright." He tried to keep his voice low and comforting as possible. "No one is going to hurt you…"

Kamek stepped forward and waved his wand over the small cut on the boy's collar bone, healing it quickly. "Your father's right Ludwig. Come along now…" He slowly helped the boy to his feet and guided him onto his bed. Bowser watched his son move without soul into a laying position, still shaking terribly. "Just rest, take your time and recover."

But then, it was almost like a spark. His eyes began to move about the room. He breathing became less shallow and he looked directly at Kamek and the King. He opened his mouth once and shut it again and then tried to speak again. "K-King Dad? Grandpa Kamek?"

Bowser looked confusedly at the Magic-Koopa. _Grandpa Kamek?_ He mouthed the silent question to him but his advisor simply waved it away. _And he never calls me King Dad…_

"W-where am I?"

Bowser stood beside him, emotions of fear and worry for his son tearing him apart. Even though he was talking to them now it seemed as if in a dream state. "You're home Ludwig, in your room."

Ludwig blinked at him for a few seconds. "Why are you here? What's the matter?"

Kamek cleared his throat. "You had another serious episode, highness." he looked down at him in concern as uncertainty crossed his face.

"I don't recall it…" he objected.

Kamek nodded. "It was the really bad kind, sire."

Ludwig took in the news silently and glanced fleetingly at his father. He coughed, seeming to mumble something under his breath.

Bowser stepped closer. "What is it Ludwig?"

"I said I-" he sat up, to Kamek's protest, slowly resting back on the head board. "-I'm sorry father: I am sorry I have disappointed you. I hoped you would never become aware of my condition, I understand if you will pass the throne to Iggy instead of me… I should probably be imprisoned in a hospital somewhere…"

"No, Ludwig I won't do that to you!" Bowser said firmly. "You shouldn't be sorry either. If there's anyone to blame for this it's me: If you hadn't seen and heard Clawdia and I fighting at so young an age it probably wouldn't have happened. I'm only upset that you didn't tell me about it."

"I didn't want you to worry father… You worry about my siblings and I so much as it is. I don't want to add to your list…"

Bowser couldn't think of anything to say to that.

"Your highness," Kamek cleared the silence, "do you remember what happened?"

The boy nodded slowly. "I was headed to bed after going over some matters in the concert hall and I-" he shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment. "-I arrived back at my room and…" he opened his eyes suddenly. "There was a girl here… She attacked me. I defended myself. I set my bed-" he looked down at his bed cover in confusion (It had been restored to its original state), "-on fire… She almost killed me but stopped. I recognized her, I saw her before just days ago. I even spoke to her. She realized it too. She was just as shocked as I. She dropped her weapon and…and just ran away." He covered his face with his hands and groaned. "I just let her get away! I didn't even try to stop her! I-I couldn't even move! I-I-I…"

Bowser sat down beside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "It's okay Ludwig."

"Kammy and I caught her, sires." Kamek said.

"Be reassured that she will be brought to justice. I will make her pay for her crimes." Bowser shot a small flame from his maw, with an evil smirk.

"No, dad-" he pushed him back to look him in the eyes. "-d-don't hurt her!" His father gave him a quizzical look. "She didn't kill me. When she saw who I was, she ran. I-I don't think-she wanted to-to hurt me-I-"

Kamek put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Calm down Ludwig."

The prince took a deep breath and looked back at his father. "Please, before you subject her to anything, allow me to speak with her. If we approach her peacefully maybe we can find out whom-" he grimaced, "-who wants me dead."

The King smiled slightly at his son's apparent wish for the correct way to handle the situation. "Alright, if you feel up to it you may speak with her first. But Kamek, Kammy and I will be with you the entire time-"

"Where is he? I'm going to kill him!"

Bowser's head whipped around and he stared at the doorway with a murderous glare, only to have it wiped away when Iggy ran in to embrace his brother. The rest of the Koopalings came in after him, along with Kammy and Peach (who was carrying Junior in her arms). His heart clenched at the thought that she might be just as worried about his children as he was, that she might love them as much as he did.

He quickly swept those thoughts aside.

"Never! Never-ever-ever-ever-EVER scare me like that again!" Iggy hugged his brother tighter.

"What's wrong, can't fight off a little girl Ludy?" Roy laughed.

"ROY!" Bowser scolded him with a drop dead glare, the kind he gave his kids only when they did something way out of line.

The boy scuffed his feet on the floor. "I was only joking…"

"There's a time and place for joking Roy…" The King said, with a nod that he would let it slip that once because there was so much going on.

"Is that blood under your nails?" Wendy screeched when she saw the red liquid on Ludwig's claws and hand.

"Did you beat her up because she was a big Meany-mean head and was stupid, because she thought she could hurt you and you beat her up-?" Morton was half ignored by the whole group.

"That's it! I'm putting up more defenses around my room." Larry announced.

"Goodness, after tonight, me too!" Lemmy, his twin, piped up.

"Mama Peach, what's going on?" Junior asked innocently.

Bowser's eyes locked with Peach's for a moment and she nodded in silent agreement.

"Nothing Junior…" She said sweetly. "Let's get you back to bed…" she turned and carried him back out the door, with Kammy leading her.

Bowser pulled Kamek off to the side quietly and gave him his orders. "No one is to let this get out. Wipe the guards' memories and everyone else who knows about this. It is now a family matter and a matter of security. This cannot get to the press."

"Yes Sire, It will be done." Kamek replied, before disappearing in a puff of purple.

* * *

Despite saying that he could sleep, Ludwig spent the rest of the night talking with Iggy (his unofficial roommate since his room was under a deep clean, and Larry and Lemmy wouldn't let him crash with them). They talked about anything except what had transpired; Music, experiments, concerts, and experiments gone wrong… The list went on, and soon Iggy had fallen asleep. But Ludwig had stared at the ceiling until the early hours of the morning when the sun started to rise.

He got up and went out onto the balcony like he did every morning to watch the sun rise over the dark mountains on the horizon. With all the fog and pollution from the volcanoes, the sky turned deep shades of red, orange, and purple.

He tried to forget just for a moment what had happened mere hours before, but it all flooded his mind anyways. The way his heart had pounded, the feeling in his gut that he was going to die, the sensation of blood on his claws, the feeling of shock, all of it had really scared him. He remembered the look on the girl's face. She had been scared too, he was sure of it.

He shuddered, knowing that he would have to face her that morning in just a few more hours. The thought of it felt strange to him. He didn't know what would happen. What would they ask her? What would she say? Would she be frightened? Would she be cooperative? He didn't know the answer to any of his questions. He only knew that they were in for a job the moment they passed through the cell doors…

* * *

** Poor Ludwig... Sorry if he seems a bit out of character through this story. I try hard to keep them somewhat consistant with their actual characters, but while adding my own twist to them. **

**Next Chapter will be up shortly :)**


	11. Chapter 11: Life or Death?

** Eleven **

Raven sat in the corner with her head propped on her bloodstained sleeve. She had tried to clean the blood off of her face but had smeared it all over, making it look worse than it already was. It stung badly too. Only three claws had managed to mark her face, three lines evenly spaced apart starting over her left eye and ending at the base of her cheek.

She sighed tiredly, feeling emotionally drained. It was all just too much.

She shifted slighting and felt something crumple in her pocket. She stretched out her leg and took the letter out of her pocket, just now remembering it. Still unopened, it was wrinkled from her hasty escape attempt.

She looked at it sadly, and hooked a finger under the opening slot. Tearing her finger across like a letter opener she took out a perfectly folded piece of paper. Holding it up to her nose she smelled the scent of lavender upon the page, as his letters to her most often were. She began to wonder what he ever liked about corresponding with her. He never gained anything from it. Heck- neither did she! Well… that wasn't entirely true: she always felt relieved when she wrote to him, he was her outlet, and she always loved reading about his life (in as little detail as he gave).

She opened the letter slowly, letting her eyes linger on the beautifully written greeting.

_Dearest friend Lavender,_

_I am saddened that I will not hear from you in the upcoming time. Your letters to me are the up side to my days, and I treasure them greatly. However, I wish you luck on your journey, though I know not what it is or wherever it may be. I hope you return home safe and sound again. You worry me with your last letter. I find that appalling things often happen when felt they will. I plead with the Star Spirits that you will be alright. Accept it as truth, or not, you are the closest friend I have as well._

_I am appalled at the thought that you would be forced into a marriage! I don't find it ever right to having be forced to succumb to such low things. I personally know that such measures can lead down dark paths. I urge you to continue down your own path and do things as you see fit (to a certain extent of course)._

_I am afraid I have a confession to make, Lavender. I am finding it difficult to keep my letters to you free of personal content. I crave to tell you of everything, yet I can tell you nothing. I myself do not care for this arrangement we have made and I pray that we may abolish it in the near future. But, know that I understand if you wish to keep our arrangement unchanged._

_And the confessions continue I'm terrified to say. This may sound very forward but perchance it is best put out that way. I desire to become acquainted with you. I am filled anticipation that after this business of yours that we might meet in person. On any account, I do not wish to scare you away if this is too much for you but I feel that I must meet you. I fail on countless occasions to get these thoughts out of my mind, but they stay._

_In all times, know that I wish you safety and a well return. _

_Sincerely,_

_The Conductor._

_P.S._

_So perhaps instead of sending a recording of your music you can play it in person. Please do consider my proposal, Lavender. _

Raven lay the paper on the ground next to her and burst into tears. She let the tears fall until all she could feel was the salt stinging her cuts and the splitting headache making her eyes hurt. With no shame, she cried until she couldn't cry anymore. And even then she trembled and sobbed. She would never write to him again. He would never know if she died or stopped writing because of his wish to meet her. She wished with her heart in whole that she was at home writing him a reply saying that she desperately wanted to meet him too, instead of being there with a failed mission and about to be put to death.

What would it be; Death by hanging, injection, a slit throat? Would there be torture before? Would they beat her for information about where she was from, about her father and his motives? What would be done to her? She couldn't rid herself of all the questions concerning her fate. It all buzzed around in her head like a mad hornet.

Footsteps in the hall.

She felt her stomach lurch as the cell door was opened and the light seeped in. She flinched involuntarily when she saw the King, Bowser, walk into the room. He stood tall, intimidating, casting a shadow over her. His eyes were bright, like they were alight with flame, red and piercing. She felt them bore into her very soul and it made her defenses activate. She stood up to face him with an unwavering glare. She was too hard core to submit herself to her own demise. She wasn't going down without a fight.

At a chance, his guard seemed down, she tried to run by him out the door but he was quicker then he looked. He shoved her back into her corner, with a warning snarl. She sat back down, almost against her will. He had an air of command about him, or maybe it was the sit-down-or-I-will-kill-you glare on his face, that made her do as he willed.

"You're not going anywhere." He growled. "Not until you answer some questions and even then it will be off to your ultimate doom."

She glared up at him defiantly. "I'm not answering anything. So, rot in hell you bastard!" she spat at his feet. His growl became even more dangerously low.

"Raven…"

She froze at the sound of the prince's voice. She saw the young man enter the room with two elderly Koopas. He edged by his father, with a look in his eyes that said plainly that he was forcing himself not to be scared. But he wasn't scared of the King, no, he was scared of her: the small helpless girl cowering in a corner, with her hand over a piece of paper protectively trying to hide it.

He moved forward cautiously, eyeing her suspiciously.

She took a steadying breath and tried to sound cool and confident as she spoke. "Would it calm your nerves to know that I could kill you _thirteen_ different ways _right now_ and I'm not going to?" she watched as the two elderly Koopas pointed their wands at her, but otherwise didn't move from her spot in the corner.

Ludwig stood before her, looking as brave as he could, looking down at her. She saw now that he was holding something in his hand that she couldn't see but he kept it tucked away. "I think-I _know-_" he sighed, a little frustrated. "-I am quite certain that deep down you do not have the desire to harm me at all. If you really wished to you would have done so last night. I'm going out on a haunch-" he held out what he had been hiding: the dagger she had dropped, "-that when I give this to you-" all the other Koopas, including the King, gasped, "-you will not hurt me." He dropped the black knife at her feet.

She looked down at the knife, and then back up at the Prince.

"If you really want me dead, kill me now." He kneeled in front of her, all fear gone from his face. "Go ahead and do it."

"Ludwig…" Bowser took a step forward.

"No, Father!" the boy waved him back, almost shouting (which was very uncharacteristic for him). "It's her choice…"

Even the air seemed still. No one breathed. No one blinked. No one moved…

And then, she reached out slowly for the knife…

Bowser growled.

Ludwig pushed him back again. "It's her choice…" he said again, and all eyes returned to her.

Raven glanced up at them all, inching her hand slowly closer for the knife. Her fingers lightly touched the handle, her eyes never leaving Ludwig's. He looked like he wanted to flinch as she grabbed it and started circling around him to the other wall.

"You can't escape." Bowser spoke up.

"I don't plan to." She watched as Ludwig backed up uncertainly towards the wall. The King looked like he wanted to intervene but a quick look from his son made him stay out of it. "You don't think I want to hurt you… You don't think I'd kill you here and now…" She stopped in front of him, looking at him with as much malice as she could cook up. In a fluid motion she stabbed the blade into the wall right next to his face.

His eyes grew wide as he realized just how close to death he had become. She took one step back. "Yes, I could've killed you…" her eyes filled involuntarily with tears as she backed away again. "But I don't want to!" she whispered. "I didn't know who my target was…I didn't know it was you…" she slid back down into her corner with a sob, her whole mask falling away. "I didn't know!"

Everyone in the room seemed to release pent up breath. Ludwig more than the rest, as he looked at the small clipping of his blue hair on the ground: the knife had barely missed him.

Raven cried, shamed. She hugged her knees to her chest, and hid her face from them. She heard the King and the two other Koopas talking in hushed voices, and when she peaked up she saw that the prince was watching her. "What are you going to do to me?" she asked him, in a tone so low only he could hear her.

She heard him kneel down by her, and then felt his hand on her shaking shoulder. When she looked up, she saw confusion on his face as he looked not at her but at the piece of paper in his hand, the letter she had so carelessly left out in plain sight.

"Where did you come by this?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of it.

She sniffed and re-buried her head against her knees. "It was from a friend, I got it in the mail."

"It cannot be…" he whispered, looking the letter over again and again.

She drowned out his mutterings and listened in to what the King was saying.

"-do with her? Technically she hasn't committed murder, and she wasn't lying to him just now sire." The elderly koopa in the blue robe said, glancing in her direction.

"Kamek," Bowser's tail swished back and forth agitatedly, "we can't let her get away with it. She _did_ try to kill Ludwig, whether she knew him or not, and that cannot go without punishment."

"Agreed sire." The koopa in the purple robe pitched in.

Kamek shook his head. "I don't know sire. I just do not see it fitting to _kill_ her! She is practically innocent because of her ignorance."

"Practically, not completely." Bowser said defiantly.

The old koopa sighed exasperatedly. "Yes…indeed… but perhaps sire, if she co-operates maybe bloodshed can be spared on this whole ordeal. We could start with who she is, where she comes from, and why she was told to do what she tried-"

"Her name is Raven." Ludwig spoke up. "And she is from the Mountain lands, as far as I know." He turned his attention to Kamek. "And as I have just now discovered, she is also Lavender."

Raven glared at him. "And what's that to you?"

She locked eyes with him and for a moment she felt something flip inside of her, a dawning sensation that was only confirmed by the prince's next words.

"I am your correspondent the "Conductor"." He said.

Raven stared at him for a few moments, as did everyone else. She didn't want to believe him but inside she knew she already did. He had said it with such enthusiasm, with such relief, she had to believe him. "H-how-?" she tried to gather her thoughts and the control of her own tongue. "How do I know you aren't just saying that?"

"I have all the letters." He said with a small smile. "Almost fifty of them in all…"

Bowser looked from Ludwig, to Kamek, and to Raven confusedly. "Did I miss something?"

* * *

** Hey guys! I just want to say, thanks for the Reviews! I love them, they make me smile every time a read them. And to "alwaysninja": either my story is very predictable or you can just read minds because I've had these chapters writen for three weeks now and you've been able to predict almost everything! I find that pretty funny. **

**Hope you all like the story thus far. Unfortunately I am all out of finished chapters! I have to write some more! I have one left that needs some editting, I'll post it soon, but after that I have practically nothing. So, bare with me please. I'm a fast writer and hopefully I'll have more Very soon. :)**


	12. Chapter 12: Friends? or Enemies?

** Twelve**

Raven kept her head buried in the soft pillow when she heard someone talking with the guards outside. When things had been sorted out a bit Ludwig had insisted that she be taken out of the dungeons, which she was, but she still had half a dozen guards outside her door. She had taken in her surroundings only to find that the Darklands clearly didn't know how to imprison an assassin like her in a bedroom but only flopped down on the bed to cry out her frustrations and pent up emotions.

She heard the door squeak open and one set of footsteps approach her. Peaking up from her pillow she saw that it was the prince, and she buried her face again with a sigh. When he didn't say anything, she rolled over onto her side (facing the wall instead of him). "You know, I could have escaped seventeen different ways from this room, over half of them including the balcony, right?" she huffed, trying to sound calm. "And I could've killed you now, twenty-one and a half ways. Three of them involving strangling, five of them include bashing, and seven of them involve sharp pointy objects and the others and too gruesome to mention…"

She heard him sigh shakily and smiled maliciously at his fear of her, but then frowned as her conscience came back. She didn't want to hurt him in any way, and she wasn't going to. So why scare him away? It was because of him that she was even alive still.

She sighed and sat up, throwing the covers off of her and straitening her hair a bit. She noticed that Ludwig flinched at her sudden movements, but remained relatively calm. She decided to try and keep talking until he made effort to do so himself.

"Yes, I could've escaped and killed you. But I won't." she stood up and crossed the room to the balcony, he followed her cautiously outside. "I presume that your father has decided what to do with me? Is he going to kill me?" she surprised herself with how calm and sophisticated she sounded as she said it.

Ludwig shook his head. "No… You shall not be disposed of."

"What then, will I become a slave?"

"No, put simply: you will never depart from here again. You shall remain with us till the day you die (of a natural cause of course)."

She turned to him. "And what will keep me from leaving?" her eyebrows knit into a V. "Do you really think that six guards and a room on the seventh floor will keep me from escaping?" she glared.

He shook his head again. "No…" he stepped a little closer, "but this will." Before she even realized what was happening, she felt him clamp something around her neck.

She shrieked and backed away from him.

"What the heck is this!" she tried to pry the thing away from her neck but every time she struggled it gradually became tighter, and she started choking. She gasped for breath, falling to her hands and knees in front of him, pausing in her attempt to get it off. It slowly became looser and when she could breathe normally again she glared at him. "Are you out of your freakin' mind? It'll kill me!"

"Only if you struggle to be free of it…" he corrected, looking down in an almost ashamed manner. "It was not of my choice, but it was the only means in which they would let you live… I'm sorry."

Her glare slowly softened but her voice didn't lose its edge. "What is this?" as her voice rose something shocked her throat. "OW! It's like a freakin' Shock Collar!" she clawed at her throat desperately, like an animal trying to become free from its leash. It started choking her again, and she started panicking. To her shame and absolute horror, she started whimpering like a puppy. She was scared. She had no idea what she was going to do, what was going to be done to her. She was imprisoned by her own neck. Tears streaked down her cheeks and she refused to look up at him.

"Hey… calm yourself…" Ludwig knelt down beside her, putting a hand on her shaking shoulder.

"Calm myself? How can I be calm when you won't even tell me what this freakin' thing is?" she felt it shock her again and yelped.

"Here, hold still." He lifted her chin slightly, and held her neck still. She felt him press something on the collar and stroke his thumb over a cut she had inflicted on her neck. "You must heed caution; it will not cease its punishments lest you stop." He continued to adjust some things on it while talking to her in a soft, low tone. "My brother designed it, for Chain Chomps originally, but presented it with a few-uh- tweaks (shall we call it?). It prevents you from raising your voice, struggling out of it and running away. It also features a tracking device-…Are you quite alright?"

She looked up and nodded slowly. She felt a little queasy and sick to her stomach. Realizing that she hadn't eaten in nearly three days she felt lightheaded. She also hadn't had any water since she was caught and the heat was starting to get to her. She stood up slowly to follow him back into the room but stumbled, barely catching herself on the balcony rail.

Ludwig went to her aid and helped her to her feet. "Are you certain you are alright?"

"I need water…" she gasped.

He led her into the bathroom that adjoined the bedroom and ran the cold water in the sink for a minute. "The cooling system takes some time to work. If you touch the water too quickly it will still be boiling hot." He ran his hand under the stream for a few seconds and nodded to her. "It's ready."

She drank for a long time, feeling completely dehydrated but he pulled her away eventually. "Don't drink too fast, you'll make yourself sick. Here…" he handed her a damp cloth. "Are you experiencing a headache?"

She nodded slowly, closing her eyes as she placed the cloth on her forehead.

"Come with me. We'll locate some Tylenol and get you something to eat." He took her forearm in his hand to help steady her as they walked, careful not to scratch her with his claws. The guards jumped as she emerged from the room but he waved them aside.

She felt blood pounding through her head like waves of shrapnel through her body. She moaned through her nose, making almost a hmm-ing sound as she covered her eyes with the cloth. He walked her down several hallways, all filled with people and loud noises that made her head feel like it was going to explode, until they reached a grand dining hall.

It was large, but that was all she could take in with her eyes hurting.

He had her sit down at the table, ordering a servant to go find some pain killer before he left her to herself.

She stared at the hardwood table for a few moments, tracing the aging rings with a fingertip until she couldn't remember where she started at. It was a beautiful table, stained dark brown with intricate designs around the edge. She noted that the chairs around the table were labeled with names and pictures. There were twelve in all, some stained and others burned.

Scattered in front of one of the chairs labeled "Iggy" were papers upon papers of notes and sketches of chemical formulas and machines. She had a feeling that the one that looked like a ring was a blueprint of what her neck was now wearing, and she had no doubt that "Iggy" was Ludwig's inventive brother.

She groaned as someone shouted out in the hall. The servant came back with a cup of water and two pills (Which she downed instantly) and left her again, just before the main door burst open.

"Junior, you shouldn't be out of bed!" Kamek scolded, following the young koopa prince into the room. "Your father will be very displeased if he finds you've been up and about."

"But I'm borrrreddd and huunnngrrryyy!" Junior whined, pouting at the magic-koopa.

"I know little highness, but-" he glanced in her direction, looking down at the collar and back at her face before turning back to the koopa child, "-you shouldn't be here."

"You should listen to him kid." She grumbled. "If you don't go back to bed I might make you disappear, and no one will ever know what happened to you." She gave the koopa child a sly look and almost grinned at the look of stunned horror on the boy's face.

Junior quickly frowned and crossed his arms. "You don't scare me one bit, you big Meany!"

Raven shook her head and pressed the damp cloth to her forehead again. "Mmm Hmm… Keep telling yourself that, kid." She sighed, tiredly and watched as the two koopa left.

She glanced back up as a bowl of soup was set in front of her.

"Here…It is the best I could acquire from Cook-Koopa." Ludwig sat down in the chair next to her, watching her carefully.

She eyed him, and looked down at the golden broth. It was chicken soup by the looks of it. She looked at it suspiciously and back up at him, her gaze never wavering. Wordlessly, she pushed the bowl and spoon towards him. He looked at her quizzically and she stared straight into his eyes. "You take some first…"

He sighed, nodding slowly. "My apologies, it slipped my train of thought that you're a paranoid ninja…" he dropped a spoonful of the broth in his mouth and pushed the bowl back towards her.

She laughed quietly. "Paranoid _ninja_?" She picked up the bowl and sipped the broth straight from it. It was delicious, not to salty and full of flavor. The hot liquid also soothed her throat as it went down. "I'm an assassin, not a ninja…" she corrected with a small smile.

The prince looked down at the table, tracing the age rings with a claw just as she had moments before. "Yeah, well… I only knew that you were fully clad in black and had a weapon at my throat. So, how was I supposed to comprehend the difference at the time?" he said quietly.

She set the bowl down again, not looking at him. "That's a reasonable point I suppose…"

Silence enveloped the two and she didn't know how to break it. She could tell he was trying to befriend her but she couldn't stop thinking that they already were, in a sense anyway. She gave him a side glance and noted that he was probably feeling just as awkward about the situation as she did. With a sigh, she made an effort to make the conversation that was on both their minds.

"So, you're the Conductor…" it wasn't a question but she saw him nod. "Did you really mean what you said in that letter, that you wanted to meet me?"

He finally met her gaze. "I meant every word I conveyed."

She tried a light chuckle. "I suppose you didn't think we'd meet like this…"

He shook his head. "No I did not… In actuality, I didn't believe I'd ever become acquainted with you: I was rather afraid that you would stop contacting me after I asked if you would be willing to…"

"That's kind of funny…" she shifted in the chair uncomfortably, using all of her will-power to not prop her feet on the table and lean back. "When I was down _there_-"(she didn't want to say dungeon) "-that was the first I read your letter, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to tell you that I wanted to meet you too. I was scared I would die, and you'd think I'd stop contacting you because of what you said. I didn't want that…"

"Really?" he seemed to look doubtful.

She nodded. "I'm sorry, I know you don't trust me at all…" she fingered at the collar around her neck. "I wouldn't trust me either."

He hesitantly touched her shoulder. "I desire to trust you, Raven… That is your actual name is it not? It is not a cover title?"

She shook her head. "No, it's my real name. Usually I don't ever give out my name to a stranger but-I don't know-I just liked you."

He looked away, almost shyly. "I liked you too…"

Silence.

He cleared his throat. "I don't wish you to feel imprisoned here."

"But I _am_ imprisoned here." She pointed out.

"I understand that…" he stood up and started walking along the wall, pacing back and forth behind her. Behind his eyes she could see internal conflict. And every aspect of his body language said that he was frustrated.

She too stood up. Leaning against the chair, she watched him pace. After a few minutes she spoke up. "Are you okay?" she asked, looking him directly in the eye. But he seemed to not hear her. "Hey…" she touched his arm, making him jump in surprise.

"S-sorry, I was-um lost in thought I suppose." He quickly averted his gaze.

She raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner, but when he turned away from her she was a little shocked. She tried to start up the conversation again. "What will I do here then, if I'm not 'imprisoned' here? Am I going to be a servant?"

He shook his head, coming back to his normal state. "No, I don't believe so. I would like you to be _my_ _guest_ here." He looked up at her, waiting for a reaction.

She immediately thought of about thirteen retorting remarks, but quickly bit her tongue to stop them from leaving her mouth. She realized that he was trying to be kind to her, trying to build up their past friendship. _Is it a past friendship, or is it just on the rocks? _She thought to herself, wondering what it would take for them to get past the fact that she had been going to kill him.

She heard him sigh, and realized that she was scowling at the ground and that he was still waiting for her to respond. How could she respond to that? _How could he still want to be friends after all that's happened? Why is it so hard to answer?_ She finally looked up at him with a sad smile. "I would love to be a guest here, your highness. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm a prisoner of undeclared war."

He nodded. "At least, do not call me 'your highness'." He pleaded. "You can call me Ludwig."

"Alright _Ludwig_," she smiled more honestly now, "I suppose you deserve to know why someone wants you dead. Do you want to know?" he eyed her suspiciously but nodded slowly. "Alright, is there somewhere we can talk free of eavesdroppers (like the three maids by the kitchen door or the three guards outside in the hall) or spies (Like the ones watching us through the peaky holes)?" She smiled smugly telling him plainly that, no matter what precautions they made, she would always notice when there was something amiss.

Ludwig smiled, and nodded almost approvingly. "You are amazing."

"No, no…" she said in mock modesty. "I'm merely very observant."

He grinned. "I like you…"

* * *

_**Yes, **_**he said that...twice. :)**

**hahaha, hope you guys like it. I'm still a bit new to fluff and romance (or whatever you want to call it), so I might not be the best at it. :P**

**Little heads up. Next Chapter might be a little sad...but you'll have to wait to find out why because it's not entirely finished yet :/ I'll have it up soon though :)**


	13. Chapter 13: an Exchange of Strong Words

** Thirteen**

Wendy looked about the room at all the people sitting and eating together. The whole building was crowded. People sat on the floor in clusters of friends and families. Almost as one they all smiled and laughed together, completely content. It always amazed her how happy they could be when they had absolutely nothing.

She stood at the service counter, handing out meals to the homeless people. She helped out at her father's sponsored shelter as often as she could, just to see them smile at the warm meal and good place to sleep. She had even made a few friends there, other volunteers and some of the people there that had nowhere else to go. And she loved them all.

She glanced across the room at a family that had just lost their home to a fire. She knew that they'd been poor to begin with but now they had nothing, like everyone else. But they were not sad. The two children played games with each other as they ate, while their parents watched them lovingly, holding hands.

She often watched families like this, happy for them but at the same time completely jealous. If she had the choice, and if she was completely honest, she would give up everything just to be happy like them. She would trade everything away to have a mother that cared about her and her brothers, just like the families here.

She let her eyes wander to one of the boys in the corner. Groups of street rats came in nearly every day but some of them were really decent koopas. The group of boys she started watching were her favorite (and not just because one of them was the cutest boy she had ever seen) because they helped out a lot too. They stayed behind after everyone left and helped clean up. When she saw them in the city they were assisting people, working, and generally making the city a better place.

She realized that even though they had no families they were still joking and content. What was the secret? She could never figure it out.

She sighed. "Hey Gracie, I've got to get home. You think you got it covered?"

Her friend nodded. "Yeah, I got things covered here. See yah!"

* * *

Peach looked out over the Darklands from the balcony. She saw Kamek practically running, trying to catch Junior. She laughed lightly at the sight. Junior was a lot younger and more agile then Kamek, and was jumping over benches in the garden and running through the thorny bushes. She guessed that the boy had reached his level of boredom and had decided to rebel against medical suggestions and just do whatever he wanted.

She heard his disappointed moan when Kamek finally caught hold of his arm. In a puff of purple they disappeared, probably back to the little koopa's room.

Peach sighed, shaking her head at the boy's futile attempts to get out of bed rest.

"That boy becomes more and more like me every day." Bowser commented behind her.

Peach cringed at his appearance. "I hope not, I would hate for such a sweet boy to end up like you Bowser." She wished she could shoot him with real daggers, but shooting daggers with her eyes would have to suffice.

He crossed his arms, looking down at her with a hardened gaze. "Believe me princess, I don't want him to be like me either. I would never curse any of my children to fall in love with pains in the neck like you…" he smirked.

Peach huffed, propping her hands on her hips. "_I_ am _not_ a pain in the neck!" she objected.

His smirk only got bigger. "Well, you sure had me fooled. Because you're a pain in mine…"

If she could growl that would be the noise that she made as she stormed past him. "Bowser, you do it to yourself you know! You don't have to kidnap me!"

He followed her back into the room. "Believe me princess, the kidnapping isn't the part that's a pain: It's your constant rejection…"

"Don't start Bowser!" she shouted at him. "I'm so sick of you! Do you ever think that maybe, just maybe, I might be in love with someone else?"

Bowser growled but otherwise didn't answer her.

"I don't want anything to do with you! Can't you see that? Why don't you just leave me alone?" She glared at him without restraint. "I _hate_ being kidnapped! I _hate_ being trapped against my will! I _hate_ the Darklands! And_ I_ _hate_ _you_!" she paused for a moment, taking in what she had just let out of her mouth. A smile suddenly spread across her face, and she laughed in disbelief. "I said it…I finally said it!" She laughed again, in pure joy at her accomplishment.

When she looked back at Bowser, he was very crestfallen.

"Hate is a very strong word, Peach…"

"I know!" she felt her cheeks begin to hurt with how wide she was smiling. "And I finally said it!"

He gazed at her for a moment, but soon let his eyes wander to the floor. She stopped laughing, and merely looked triumphant when she saw that she struck a chord with him. His eyes moved about the room aimlessly until he finally nodded to himself.

"Hate may be a strong word, but so is love. No matter how much you hate me, I will never stop loving you… But," he paused, almost as if gathering courage to say what he was going to, "If Mario ever once, _just once_, shows that he cares for you as much-or more-then I do…I will never kidnap you again. I swear it…"

Peach huffed. "You want to know how much I believe that?" she stopped when he stepped closer and leaned down to become face to face with her. His look was completely serious, pained and hurting but serious.

"I swear it, Peach."

She searched his eyes for a long time, trying to find any hint of deceit, but found nothing of the sort. "Alright, I'm going to hold you to that." She nodded to him.

He puffed a stream of smoke from his nose and turned away from her. He walked back out onto the balcony, and she followed curiously. Standing in silence, they watched the busy maids and guards on the levels below go about their business. Everything was of the norm, except for a few heightened security measures.

Peach looked up at where Ludwig's room was, two stories above hers. She had a hard time believing that even a trained assassin could make a jump like that and get up and run some more. She realized that Bowser's eyes were glued on the spot as well, seeming tense and (for the first time she had seen) unsure.

"Whatever happened to her?" she asked, trying to break the awkward silence between them. She knew that he wouldn't leave just because they had had a sour conversation: he was just too stubborn.

The King heaved a heavy sigh and leaned against the door frame to the bedroom. "At Ludwig's great persistence, I let her live." He shook his head. "I really didn't want to but…I've never seen him act that way. He's very set in having her stay here. I wanted to send her down to a high security prison but-" he ran his claws through his feathery hair. "-I had no idea that boy could be just like his siblings…"

"What'd he say to convince you?-Maybe he can give me some tips." she quickly tried to cover her curiosity.

He seemed to ignore it and looked down at the floor. "Ludwig's never been the one to ask for favors. He said that if he had to choose one favor of me in his entire life it would be that I let her live and keep her here. Apparently he has some sort of connection with her. He knew her before this and…" he chuckled slightly, "…he has feelings for her. It figures that my eldest son would end up just like me…In love with a woman who wants to tear his heart out…"

Peach rolled her eyes. "Why are you still here Bowser?" she asked, staring him down, not in the mood to talk about '_them_' again.

He raised an eyebrow for a second before processing what she asked. He was obviously distracted. "The kids want to go on a trip in a few days, granted that Junior gets better by then. And, they have requested that you join us." He paused for a moment before continuing. "It _is_ your choice but, we all would love it if you decided to tag along. It's just something for you to think about. I'm sure someone will be by later to see if you will be coming…" he gave her a sad smile and left her where he had found her, watching over the garden.

She sighed in relief that he was finally gone. "I said it…" she pondered to herself. She felt so emptied out, but not in a good way. She had always thought that if she had ever said how she felt about Bowser that she would feel the greatest amount of relief, but all she felt was a hollow guilt in her heart. _Why guilt?_ She thought. _It's the truth!_

A small part of her told her that it was because she had hurt him in a way only she could. That she was taking advantage of his weakness. Something she had promised herself she wouldn't do to anyone…

She stormed into her room, frustrated. Throwing herself onto the bed, she buried her face in her pillow and screamed. "It's the truth you stupid conscience! Leave me alone!"

* * *

Wendy watched from behind a statue as Bowser shut the door to Peach's room. He stood still for a few minutes with a hand over his eyes. She could see his shoulders shaking, and heard him whimper once. Her eyes widened, realizing that she had heard correctly what Mama Peach had shouted. She hated King Dad. Collecting himself, Bowser walked down the hall in the opposite direction of Wendy, and she stared after him in wonder. How could he keep coming back? How could he take constant rejection? How long could he keep it up?

She knew that her father was strong, stubborn, and persistent. Peach had yelled and shouted at him before, but she had never seen her father cry afterwards.

She knew that she had to keep her discovery a secret, which wasn't something she often did. She couldn't let anyone know what had been said, what had happened: it would crush all of her siblings and the small strand of sanity that their family still had, to know that Peach would never want to be with King Dad.

Wendy still saw Peach as "Mama Peach" but somehow now, she felt that she knew the Mushroom Princess would never be their mother for real.

She sunk to the floor, hugging her knees to her chest as she began to cry. All she had ever wanted was a real family, and now that would never happen. She whimpered quietly, hiding her face from the world with her small hands.

She didn't know how long it was before she heard the sigh above her. She felt strong arms pick her up and hold her close.

"Hush…its okay Wendy…" Bowser hugged her gently. "It's okay…"

"Why does she hate you? Why is she being so mean?" she sobbed into his shoulder.

"I don't know Wendy. She's upset. I wouldn't hold anything against her…" he hushed her again, carrying her away from Peach's room.

She sniffled, wiping tear away from her face. "I just want a real family…"

She heard her father sigh. "We all do Wendy…"

* * *

**Yes I know this chapter was a bit sad. Just bare with me here: I just wanted to establish that Peach really doesn't like Bowser all that much. And I also wanted to show that the Koopa family is incomplete without a mother. From here on out, things **_**should**_** be less depressing.**

**And my goodness! I am in love with all the reviews! I never thought I'd have so many by now! Thank you all SO Much! :) **


	14. Chapter 14: Who and Why?

** Fourteen**

Ludwig motioned for Raven to follow him out into the garden. He watched her with the faintest of laughs as she looked around suspiciously at everything around her. Apparently she never fully trusted anything, not even plants. He didn't blame her too much though, considering they were in a garden of piranha plants.

When one of the bored plants tried to snap at her heal he wasn't surprised when she flipped around and kicked it. It screeched and backed back into its box, almost eying her with distaste. When she caught up with him, she brushed a lock of her shining black hair out of her face and gave him a smile. "You know, when I'm not running in and out of here and I actually stop and look, this place is quite nice…" she kicked another piranha plant.

Ludwig couldn't help but grin. "You do not favor piranha plants, do you?"

She laughed, kicking another square in the face. "No, no I don't. I've never been fond of poisonous plants."

He raised an eyebrow. "Piranha plants aren't poisonous…"

She huffed, swatting one while jumping over two others, finally coming out of that section of the garden. "Not to Koopas their not. But believe me, when one of those gets a hold on my ankle for even a second, the next day I'm as sick as hell." She sighed in relief when she was finally out of range of their teeth. "I may have built immunity to most poisons but, those darn plants still get to me…"

"I apologize, if I'd known that I would never have brought you through here." He led her in a diagonal path towards another part of the garden.

"Where're we going?" she asked, looking about the garden.

"The rose garden, it's the only place that no one but my family ever goes to. All of my siblings are preoccupied and my father is in a meeting, so it should be very much vacant." He turned down a rock path and started towards a patch of green grass.

Raven smirked, "You really must be trying to trust me. Any sensible person would lock me up forever, not take me somewhere alone with my target."

"I'm horrified that you would think me foolish! I assure you, I am never without some protection." He eyed her suspiciously, but smiled when she laughed. He liked her laugh: it was crystal clear and beautifully bright. He watched her hop onto a garden bench, something he always found childish, but when she jumped up onto the garden wall and started walking with him from up there he couldn't help but admire her.

She had the grace of a feline. But he noticed that she wasn't perfect. She often stumbled, but caught herself. At the end of the wall, she did a flip off the top and landed in a crouch in front of him.

"I don't find you foolish Ludwig. Believe me when I say I know you're not defenseless. My face itches every time I think about It." she traced her fingers over the long thin scabs on her face, where his claws had dug into her flesh. "And I know my fair share of information on Dragon Koopas; Fire breath, scull crushing hands, sharp claws and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth."

He nodded, looking over the small cuts he had inflicted on her face. "I regret that." He said, motioning to the little wounds. "I would never wish to hurt or scar you."

She huffed lightly. "Well, it's a little late for that. But I get what you're saying."

They walked into the rose garden but stayed silent for a while. He watched her inconspicuously, taking note of everything she did. She seemed to like the fresh scenery, though he could almost say that she wasn't a rose person. She looked like she appreciated the flower for what it was but nothing more.

_Strange_…He thought to himself. _I thought all girls favored roses…_

"So…" he clasped his hands behind his back.

She followed his motion, almost like a habit of 'see and do'. "So… I suppose I should tell you what we came out here for, huh?"

"That would be preferred, but if you do not wish to I wouldn't be bothered as long as we may speak together." He motioned for her to sit on one of the benches in the shade of a large tree, and they sat down together.

"Well…Oh shoot, where to start?" she played with her pony tail with one hand, letting her fingers run through its shiny blackness. "Well, my father is in league with a few other countries that hate the Darklands…I guess you could say… A while back, when your father came to rule he expanded the Darklands, taking over a lot of the neighboring countries. A lot of people are still very upset about it. So they hired my father to take out the heir to the Darklandian throne-you- and he hired me to do it…" she sighed. "That's about it. That's all I know really. I can take an educated guess that they wanted to weaken your father so they could take over by war but, as I said it's just a guess."

"But we have nothing to fear from this, do we? It is done with?" he inquired.

She looked down at the grass, avoiding his gaze. "When my father doesn't hear back from me within a few weeks he will most likely send someone else to finish the job. I wouldn't be surprised if he already has. I'm never late getting back home, even he knows that and I was supposed to be back this morning. Everyone will probably assume I'm dead because I'm not back."

"I'm sorry." He put a hand on her shoulder.

She shrugged, "It's okay. Not many will miss me, maybe no one at all except my Chain Chomp."

Ludwig shook his head. "I'm positive that could not be factual. You seem like such a nice person, how could you not be missed?" he watched her carefully, wondering if he possibly had asked too much.

She shrugged again. "I don't know a lot of people, and those I do know I don't see often. And they knew from the beginning that I could die with my profession, as much as they could with theirs…" she looked anywhere but at him. "I'm really not that nice of a person."

They were both silent for a little while. Ludwig began to realize that he still had his hand on her shoulder. She seemed to notice too but when he made a motion to move away she glanced up at him.

"You're honestly the only friend I think I've ever had…"

He smiled shyly. "Well, I am delighted to know that you see me as your friend."

* * *

"So who was that blonde ditz I ran into when I was running away?" Raven looked at him from across the table, sipping her cup of water.

"Blonde ditz?" he raised an eyebrow, drinking some of his water. They had eventually ventured from the garden to the sports field and had settled down there to watch a basketball game in play and talk. He wasn't very interested in the game but she seemed to enjoy it, and he took pleasure in being able to have a casual conversation with her.

"Yeah…" she nodded, glancing back at the game. "You know, the girl in the room that looked like a pink monster exploded in it."

Ludwig almost laughed, almost. "That would be Peach."

She turned all her attention to him. "Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom, that Peach?"

He nodded slowly.

She slapped her knee comically, leaning back in her chair to sigh with a barely contained laugh at the sky. Her shoulders shook as she giggled and her eyes closed slightly. "I heard the rumors but I always dismissed them. Just to think that your father, the most feared man this side of the map, is in love with a princess like Peach…it's so ironic."

"I suppose so."

* * *

Raven skipped a few steps to keep up with the Prince. He was faster than he looked, she supposed she would have to get used to it.

"So, may I inquire what your story is?" Ludwig opened the door to the dining room for her and motioned her inside before him. They had been outside all day and now that the sun was about to set, he told her he'd thought it best to get her something to eat before she was 'sent' back to her 'room'.

"My story?" she shook her head, but her smile never left her face. "My _story_? Seriously, it's not that interesting. I don't think it's really worth telling."

He gave her an unsatisfied look. "Dear Raven, you're a ninja-excuse my memory, an assassin. There has to be something there to tell." He insisted, pulling a chair away from the table for her to sit down.

She sighed, and sat down. "Well, what do you want to know?" she asked, resisting yet again that day to not prop her feet on top of the table, like she so habitually did back at home.

"Well…" he paused, sitting down in the chair next to her. "Who are you really?"

She mulled it over for a few seconds, debating whether to tell him everything or just the basics. It had only been a day and she felt that she could tell him anything, but she reminded herself that she couldn't actually trust anyone. "My name is Raven, I live in the mountain lands, and my father is the ruler of the mountain lands."

"So, you are royalty?" he raised an eyebrow.

She shrugged. "I suppose I am. I don't really feel like it. I don't know how to rule a country, I don't wear dresses _ever_ and I'm not exactly a proper princess. I have scars, I have bad habits and I don't care for perfect manners too much… however, if you ask me how to kill a person from a mile away on top of a wall with a sniper rifle with a wind blowing to the right at forty miles an hour, I'll talk in circles around you and get you within an inch radius of the center of the target's head." She smiled at the thought then shook her head again.

Ludwig shook his head too. "I do not understand how that is possible…"

She waved a hand, dismissing the subject. "Don't ask… the last person who did regret it three hours later with a splitting head ache."

"I'll take you at your word then." he motioned for one of the servants to bring something to eat and turned his attention to her again. "So how did you become an assassin?"

Raven played with her pony tail for a few minutes, looking down at the wooden table. It was a long story, and a very personal one to her. She didn't really want to say anything about it, or what lead to it. When she didn't answer he looked down apologetically.

"I perceive that it is not a very good memory, I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "No, it's okay." She said quickly. "It's just a little long and…not a very pleasant story."

"I understand."

She smiled sadly, "Thanks…"

* * *

**Hey Peoples! :) **

**Hope you like this chapter, not as sad as the last one but foreshadows a sad memory that will be told eventually! Also sorry this chapter doesn't have much happening in it.. hopefully next chapter will :P **

**BTW! Love the reviews! But please, don't bash other reviewers and keep the swearing down :) sorry, it just bothers me in ways you couldn't imagine. :/ but thank you all for taking time to review, add to favorites and alerts!**

**Next Chapter, I have no idea when I'll have it up...hopefully soon. Not sure who to write it about. Peach, or Bowser? PM or Review to suggest which! :)**


	15. Chapter 15: Father and Son

** Fifteen**

Junior sat on top of his bed covers with his arms crossed and a deep frown on his face, as he stared at Kamek, who merely stared back with the same disposition. Their eyes were locked in a silent battle with each other. No one had the upper hand. Kamek had a hard stare but Junior stayed stubborn to his true nature. He was sick and tired of being confined to his bedroom. But Kamek was insistent to keep him there even if he had to watch him without blinking, which he was doing very well.

Junior blew a little smoke through his nose in boredom.

"No blowing fire." Kamek scolded.

"But I wasn't blowing fire!" Junior objected.

"Smoke, Fire, what's the difference?" The old koopa was unwavering.

"You-You're just jealous because…because you _can't_ blow fire!" the boy spat, smiling proudly when the advisor's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Well…That is technically correct Junior." He said slowly, "But if I may remind you sire: _you_ can't breathe fire yet either, so that makes us totally and completely even."

The prince huffed, and turned his back towards the old koopa. "Meany…" he muttered.

"KAMEK!"

Bothe Koopa jumped at the alarmingly loud voice. Junior looked back at the old koopa, who had taken out his wand and was holding not so closely to his ear.

"Yes, Kammy what is it?" he said, his voice calm and smooth.

Junior suppressed a giggle in his hands at the sight of Kamek shaking from the sudden loud noise that blasted through the wand.

"Kamek! I need you to get down here now! We have a-" there was a crash and thud, "-a situation in the hanger bay!"

"Kammy…" he pleaded in a hushed voice. "I'm a little busy keeping Junior out of trouble, I'm sure you can handle-"

"Kamek, Get Your Tail Down Here, Or So Help Me I Will-!"

The old koopa quickly cut the communication and looked sternly at Junior. "Don't go _anywhere_." In a puff of purple he was gone.

A second passed by. Two seconds. Three.

Junior jumped out of bed and scurried to his door. Giggling, he opened the door and slipped out into the hall. "He never said how long I had to stay…" He darted across the hall to a staircase and quickly ran down them.

* * *

"I can't take it! I can't take it anymore!"

Bowser looked up from his paperwork, raising his eyebrow at Kamek. He looked at his advisor critically when he saw that Kamek was covered in engine lubricants and smelled of gasoline. "What the heck happened to you?"

"I'm sorry sire, you know I would do anything for you but this is getting ridiculous! I can't watch Junior anymore! Anything, give me any other assignment, please!" he begged.

Bowser's eyebrows both went through the roof. "_Junior_ did this to you?"

Kamek looked at him confusedly, "What?" he looked down at his robe and sighed. "No, not this… The boy won't stay still. I went to fix one problem, and when I came back he was gone! I told him to stay put, but he won't listen!"

Bowser turned in his chair with a smirk, secretly proud of his youngest son. "Doesn't he just remind you of a little someone you used to watch for my father?" he stood up and smiled good-naturedly, giving Kamek a light slap on the back. "Relax Kamek, my friend: he's getting in no more trouble than I did at his age."

"But-but he's sick!" Kamek objected. "Even you told him to stay in bed."

Bowser gave his typical booming laugh. "And when have strict orders ever stopped any of the Koopa family? After all these years, I'd thought you'd know that by now."

His advisor nodded. "Yes, I suppose I should…but that boy…" he shook his head. "He's just as much a trouble maker as you were. I guess I should expect nothing less, he is your son after all…" he paused, taking a deep breath. "But I need a break sire. I can't take care of him anymore if he's going to run me all over the kingdom!"

"A break Kamek? The last time you took a break was when?-when I myself had burn throat?" Bowser smirked, at the memory. "Take a break old friend. I'll go find Junior and make sure he behaves."

Kamek sighed. "Thank you sire."

Bowser nodded half to himself. "Well, if he's already feeling up to running around he must be getting better." He mused, as Kamek disappeared in the cloud of purple that his magic wand conjured up. He smiled at the thought that Junior was becoming just as mischievous as his brothers.

Walking down the hall to where he had an idea where Junior might be hiding, he began to think of his own time as a Koopaling. He and his three brothers had hid from Kamek to the point of frustration, toyed with everything and caused trouble everywhere. He had been the ring leader of his siblings and-surprising to everyone who didn't know-was the youngest of them all.

They had been the best of friends, nothing could separate them. At least that was what they had thought before sickness had hit, killing his brother Morton. They were young when it had happened, Bowser himself still didn't have a grasp on what death was at the time. It had broken them apart. Brawn, his eldest brother, had become violent and irrational. Bowser and his other brother Brawl distanced themselves from him.

Then the king became sick. His last actions were to pass the throne onto Bowser and arrange a marriage for him. His brother Brawn had been furious, because he was supposed to have the throne.

Bowser shook his head, sadly. He had not been ready for the responsibility of the thrown or marriage at age _ten_. He had matured very quickly in the next few years. Kamek had helped a lot, in fact the old koopa practically ruled for a time until he was fifteen. And Bowser was alone a lot, since Brawl had left when Clawdia moved in.

He had promised himself that he wouldn't put his kids, who all but Ludwig still in the incubation stage, through the troubles that he had to as a youth. He had promised that he wouldn't fool his children into jealously and never arrange a marriage for any of them because of how horribly his own was going. And he had put a lot of funding into hospitals so the people of his country, not just his family, wouldn't have to face so much loss to disease.

Despite what he had gone through in his younger years and the 'issues' he had at the moment, he was called one of the greatest kings the Darklands had ever seen. He had increased the land, and fixed the economy. He had made the Darklands a desirable place to live, for those who could stand the heat from the volcanoes that is. He was the land's savior and protector, with the most fearsome of reputations. He had only ever lost to one enemy and that was Mario…

All the destruction that Mario had caused the Darklands had made every Darklandian take Bowser's side of the argument. They saw the red plumber as evil and cruel, and if Bowser didn't know the man better he would agree with them. Mario was a good person, a very good person. He never did anything wrong. Unlike some Dragon Koopas he knew… Bowser knew he was far from perfect but refused to believe that Mario was better than he was. The man was his rival-of course he wouldn't think that Mario was the better man.

Bowser blew a stream of smoke from his nose. _All of our fighting and all the destruction- are all over a blond ditz_… He shook his head at the stupidity of it all.

* * *

Junior scrambled underneath the study desk in the library with a picture book. Setting the blue book aside he pushed against the wall, making the secret passageway open up slightly. Pushing harder on the hidden door he almost fell in the passage when he jumped in surprise.

"Junior…" His father's voice held that tone that said he was in trouble, but not so much because the King was amused at him.

Junior froze where he was, like that could hide him from his father's piercing red eyes.

"I can still see you Junior…" Bowser chuckled quietly.

"Drat…" He grabbed his book and crawled back out into the library backwards.

"And what are you doing out of bed?" he asked.

"King Dad, I'm not tired!" Junior complained. "I don't want to be in bed anymore!"

"Hmm…" Bowser raised an eyebrow and tapped his foot on the floor. Junior looked down at the floor in preparation for a scolding but heard his father laugh instead. "Come here you!"

Junior squealed as he was lifted into the air, thrown up and caught back in strong hands. He laughed when Bowser set him on his shoulder. He held onto one of his father's horns to steady himself as they left the library. "Where are we going daddy?"

"You are going back to bed." He said firmly.

"Aww!" Junior frowned.

"-but," Bowser continued. "If you stay in your room and are feeling completely better by tomorrow, we might go on a trip…" he said, with a sly undertone.

"Where are we going?" he asked excitedly.

"Well, I haven't decided yet. It depends how good you behave-"

Junior jumped off of his shoulder and started running down the hall at top speed.

"Where are you going?" Bowser shouted after him.

Junior looked over his shoulder but didn't stop running. "I'm going to my room!" he called back to him and heard him laugh.

* * *

Staring up at the ceiling, Junior thought about where they might go if he was better the next day. He wondered if Mama Peach would go. He hoped that she would. He wondered if Ludwig would go, he often didn't go on family outings anymore. He hoped his brother would join too.

He sighed tiredly and watched a stream of smoke leave his mouth. Smiling, he did it again. A few seconds later he did it again, and again. He laughed when he made a smoke ring float to the ceiling. Taking a deeper breath he exhaled forcefully. He yelped and rolled off of his bed when a jet of orange-yellow flame erupted from his maw.

He stared at the place where the fire had been mere seconds before with wide eyes. He locked eyes on the spot for what seemed like forever, in shock at his accomplishment. Suddenly he jumped up and screamed at the top of his lungs, dancing around the room. "I breathed fire! I breathed fire! I breathed fire!"

* * *

** Well, thanks to AgentOfRedAndBlue I have the next chapter! thanks AgentORAB for the idea to use Junior! **

**I hope you liked this bit with Junior and King Bowser. Going to get more of the Koopalings and Raven soon I hope, maybe in the next chapter... hmm...We'll see. :) I'll update as soon as I can :)**


	16. Chapter 16: new targets

** Sixteen**

Raven landed on the lower balcony with a thud, on her feet in a crouch. Not wasting any time, she grabbed the rail and flipped herself over the edge and swung to another balcony two stories lower. Landing in a roll, she stood up and brushed a lock of stray hair out of her face. She saw her victim one last level down when she peered over the edge.

Flicking out her boot knives and grabbing two butter-knives she had snatched at dinner, she started climbing down the wall silently. It was a little more painstaking then her first two climbs in the kingdom's border, made more difficult by the dull knives she was forced to resort to. Losing grip on one of the shining silver utensils it fell down below her. _Fie_! She wanted to scream with her mind.

Her target on the balcony watched the silver flash fall to the ground, and then looked up with a startled yell!

Raven jumped the last ten feet and quickly clamped her hands over her victim's lips. "Shut up! I just want to talk to you, _your highness_!"

Peach squeaked in surprise, but nodded. Raven removed her hand and Peach looked around suspiciously. "_Why_ were you sneaking up on me?" she demanded, in a harsh whisper.

"Goodness, calm down Peachy." Raven passed her into the bright pink room and sat down at the desk, propping her feet up on the white painted wood carefully not kicking over the bottle of ink. "They wouldn't let me out of my room, so I came here the only other way." She smiled her almost evil smile and laughed at her terrified expression. "Come on, relax! I'm not going to kill you with your hair brush, or cut you with a shard of your mirror…"

"What do you want?" Peach sat down on her pink bed, smoothing the wrinkles out of her dress.

Raven sighed in exasperation. "I already told you, I just want to talk! I'm bored, can't a girl be bored? I'd think you of all people would understand and be thankful for a little company." She huffed, crossing her arms and staring at the ceiling. "So what do you do while you wait her for your 'hero' to come save you?"

"Nothing really, I go where I'm told and stay here for most the time." Peach said, making a not so subtle grab for a fork that was left on her dresser by her dinner.

"Drop it princess: I could best you with both my hands and one foot tied behind my back." Raven heard the silver drop, and clatter on the floor, smiling in satisfaction. She liked the affect she had on people. "So you seriously just stay her for days, getting fat on meals-" she heard her fellow princess gag in a repulsed manner, "-and only seeing outside from your window? Did you even know that there's a rose garden here? Or did you know that they have sports fields, and a race track?"

Peach nodded at the last one. "I've raced on the track before." She said quickly.

Raven continued on as if she didn't hear her, but in actuality she noted the grimace on Peach's face when she said it. "Ludwig showed me around all day, it was simply _amazing_. This place is amazing! I _love_ it here!" she sighed deeply, ending it with a chuckle. "How could you ever leave this place?"

Peach edged to the further onto the bed, sitting in the corner where the bed met the wall, tucking her knees up to her chest and hugging them tightly against her as if it could protect her. "I've been taken here against my will since I was little. It wasn't a very charming time for me, and since then my liking of here has only gone downhill."

Raven stood up quickly and sat down next to Peach, making her flinch. "Well aren't you 'Mrs. Positive'? Goodness, I am so jealous of you! This place is great!" she picked up the dropped fork from the ground and twisted it in her hand, it was nice and pointy… "How could you _not_ like this place?"

Peach sighed shakily. "I just never have. I don't like the Darklands or its king…Unlike what some people would claim…"

"You don't like Bowser? Well that's a crusher…" Raven leaned back on the backboard, bringing her boots onto the perfectly pink covers.

Peach looked annoyed. "Oh please, tell me your not one of those 'Bowser Peach' fanatics." She begged.

She shook her head. "No, I'm not really. But I can't deny that I think it's kind of cute…"

The older princess's eyes became as close as they could to murderous. "Why does everyone think that it's so cute? It's not! Have you ever had a half crazy turtle stalker?"

"He's a Dragon Koopa." Raven corrected habitually. She couldn't help but correct people when they mistook what the target was exactly. "And no I haven't… but if someone did start stalking me, I don't think I'd mind… As long as he did it out of love, like Bowser is surely doing to you." She winked lightly at Peach.

The princess in pink groaned. "Of all in injustice, why did I have to get a prison mate?" she asked the ceiling, frustration plain on her face.

Rolling her eyes, Raven stood back up while secretly slipping the fork into her pocket along with the dinner tray's knife. "Fine, I'll leave: I can tell when I'm not wanted." That saying held more truth then Peach could ever realize with her. "I have someone else to visit anyway..." as silent as a stray wind, she slipped out onto the balcony.

* * *

The room was a lot darker then Peach's. Dark grey stone walls and black furniture made the place feel cold. The only color that brightened its dull existence was the torches that lit the room, casting orange light on everything.

She slipped the knife and fork back into her pocket as she entered the room. She saw her second individual to visit that night sitting at his desk. Leaning against the wall, she watched him looking over some papers. He didn't seem to notice her. She cleared her throat, making his eyes snap up instantly. "Sir…" she greeted simply.

Bowser growled, glaring daggers at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Well…" she approached him seemingly without care, but did heed small cautions by keeping a piece of furniture between them at all times. She grabbed a chair in front of his desk and sat down, politely keeping her feet off the desk in respect to who he was. "As a concerned -rather forced- citizen, I thought you might like to know the gaps in your defenses and the weak points in your guards?"

The King's eyes were ablaze with malice, but instead of outright killing her he settled to standing up and walking around her. If she moved in any way, he would be in a prepared position to protect himself from harm.

_Smart_… she had to give him props for his precautions.

"Is that so?" he growled, underneath his controlled tone.

She shrugged, trying to keep her body language calm and careless. Opposing forces were usually calmer when she acted that she didn't care what happened to her in the end. "Yeah, I guess." She took the silverware from her pocket and dropped them on the desk, earning a warning growl from his highness. "And to tell you that if your precious Peach was to be assassinated she wouldn't be as fortunate and able to defend herself as Ludwig was… And frankly, I'm really bored." She brushed her jet black hair back behind her shoulder.

"I don't have time for the likes of you." Bowser said, obviously making an attempt to get rid of her.

"Oh really? What are you doing, maybe I can help?" she offered, not going to be sent away so easily by him.

He puffed a cloud of smoke from his nostrils. "I'm signing all this dang paperwork, and unless you're me I don't think your signature will cut it."

Raven uncrossed her arms, almost daring to glare at him. On an impulse she grabbed a spare quill and paper that hadn't been signed. Before he could do more than object, she signed his name perfectly on the dotted line. She thrust the paper into his hand and watched him look it over in disbelief for a few moments.

"How-?"

"I've had to forge your signature a few times in the past." She admitted. "So, do you want to know how your son can be protected from a second attempt on his life in the next coming months or not? All because I'm a prisoner of war, doesn't mean I have all the time in the world. Personally I'm tired, so let me talk now while I feel like telling you."

"Hmm…" he eyed her suspiciously but sat down in his chair to continue with his work, setting the paper with her forgery in the signed pile of papers. Pushing a stack of papers towards her he sighed in defeat. "If you're going to be here, you might as well do something useful." He relented.

She took the stack and quickly got to work. "First off: you need more guards on the walls and near the gates. Security there absolutely sucked. I would also suggest you find a way to make your walls not so climbable. That was the easiest part…" she noted that he was listening to her, even if his eyes were fixed on papers. He was obviously taking everything she said to memory. "Next: I would suggest that you discipline your guards more. I was literally _let in_ by one of your Koopa Patrol guards next to the maids' entrance, without any fuss. _I_ was even a little disappointed at that."

She paused, thinking back on the incident. The guard hadn't even looked slightly suspicious. "Finally: you need to put more security around your balconies. As you can see-" she motioned to herself and then to the balcony door, "-that was mere child's play. And I'm not the best assassin in the world. My father will most likely send a better one next time, so you need to be ready."

Bowser looked up in surprise when she set the finished stack of papers in the pile but other then pass her some more, he remained silent.

"And I would suggest-I'm not saying your children can't protect themselves but-I suggest you teach Ludwig to defend himself better. Get him an instructor maybe." She scanned the paper in her hands, searching for the signing line but she couldn't find it. She ended up setting it aside in annoyance and continuing with her very one-sided conversation.

"The guards you set to watch us were pretty discreet but they wouldn't be able to respond fast enough if someone was to attack Ludwig."

"Guards?" he didn't even look up. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She smirked to herself. "The gardener in the rose garden. Three of the basketball players. The menservants in the kitchen. I suppose that everyone here just likes watching two people for no reason?" she smiled when he frowned. "I'll give you props, that was pretty good but if I can spot them my successor will spot them faster."

Bowser put away his ink quill and looked up at her. "Do you really want to help Ludwig?"

"Yes…Of course I do. If I didn't, he'd be dead already." She pointed out.

"Hmm." He cocked an eyebrow at her. "If you really want to keep him alive…I suppose, since you know best about your father's tactics and your fellow workers', you should be the one to help him defend himself. But-" He glared at her hard, "-If you do anything to him, or I suspect you will, I will have you executed."

She nodded solemnly. "I understand sir."

* * *

Staring at the ceiling in the dark and laying on her bedcovers, Raven started to giggle. She was going to turn Ludwig's world upside down. When she was done with him, he'd at least know to be careful about whom he was around.

She smiled evilly. She already had their first lesson together figured out…

* * *

**Well, sorry to keep you waiting! school's a killer man... Anyways, hope you like. Next Chapter will have all the Koopalings in one room :) should be interesting. Updates might be a little slow coming (compared to some) from now until my life stops being so full of babysitting jobs :P sorry if I keep any of you waiting. And as always thank-you all so much for the reviews, when I see them I smile so hard my cheeks start to hurt (no joke) :) I will hopefully have the next chapter up soon. :)**


	17. Chapter 17: Memories of a fresh past

**To BLUEDYNAMO12, I'm sorry that you feel that way: that is not what I intended for people to think. But I have to admit, I'd never heard that term before you said something, I actually had to look it up to understand what you were talking about :P lol. Even though I'm slightly disappointed in my work now, I will strive to make things better. Thanks for reviewing! :) **

**So so SO sorry this is taking so long! I've had a lot of stuff to do in school, my learner's permit test is today and I've had babysitting all week. And to top all that off, I started over completely on this chapter, just scrapped it all. Things tend not to sound so great when you write while you're falling asleep. So…Sorry this is going to be late, I will hopefully have it up real soon. :) **

**5\26\12**

**Here it is! It's not the greatest chapter in the world but I hope you like it! :)**

* * *

Seventeen

_The rain was falling, and the sky was grey. The world seemed to look how she herself felt. All was lost. She had nothing to live for. Everything was ruined. Her life was a living hell. Why the world would be sad with her, she didn't know. _

_Keeping her gaze lowered she ran across the courtyard to the cover of a large tree. She shivered, the rain had already soaked her to her skin. Everything seemed dark, cold and cruel. She wasn't surprised at her luck when she saw the people sitting in the tree branches. _

_Their leader-Tom by name-laughed, and jumped down in front of her, the wet grass squished under his heavy weight and splattered her pants with mud. "Well, well, well… look who we have here!" He smiled evilly down at her. He shoved her roughly on the shoulder, knocking her against the tree. His friends laughed. "I thought I told you no losers were aloud out of the building until three o'clock."_

_She tried to stammer a reply, but clumsily dropped her backpack in her frantic state. "I'm sorry, I-I-I forgot, I don't want any-any trouble." She squeaked, stooping down to pick up her belongings._

_"Sorry ain't good enough." He kicked her over with a dirty boot. _

_She shrieked in surprise as she fell backwards and landed ungracefully in a puddle of mud. She felt her eyes grow watery, and looked down ashamedly. _

_"Oh, so you're going to cry?" they all laughed at her, coming down from their spots in the tree. "Go on and cry baby!"_

_She grit her teeth together, holding back the urge to do just that. Defiantly, she drove her hand into the mud and stood up. "L-leave me alone!" she shouted at them._

_Their leader bent down, mocking her. "Make me, pipsqueak." He grinned wildly._

_Summoning her small speck of courage, she smeared her fist sized ball of mud in his face. "Rot in hell you jerk!" she screamed at him. Little did she know that the phrase would one day become one of her go-to lines. _

_Before she could comprehend what was going on, she felt something smack hard into the side of her head! She fell to the ground, once again falling into the mud._

_"Get her!" the boy shouted. "Make her understand why we're top dog here and not her!"_

_She screamed as they dragged her to her feet, and pulled her over to a ravine not too inconveniently placed nearby. They pushed her in, jumpin in after her. She screamed for help, wishing that someone would save her as they dunked her under the water. She struggled against them as they tried to drown her, but she was helpless!_

_Finally, when the bullying stopped, she lay on the wet grass exhausted. Blood poured from the corners of her mouth from the coughing water out of her lungs. Her nose was bleeding, and she was cut in various places. And to top it all off, they had taken her bag._

_Raven laid there and cried silently to herself for hours, before getting up and heading to where she had been in the first place. She was tired, shivering and hungry. She was young and alone…_

_X-X-X_

_She tried to dodge them but they spotted her like they always did. Five years later and they still hadn't lain off bullying her. Dropping her backpack on a bench, she took off running down the grassy slope. She heard Tom and his gang following after her but she was a little more experienced now. She braced her foot on a concrete bench and pushed herself up and over a wall._

_"Hey pipsqueak!" _

_They were still right behind her. She pushed herself to go faster, and she jumped over a small brook. But nothing she did gave them the slip. She cursed the fact that they went to the same training and that they had more experience than her. It wasn't long before she felt the familiar grip on her arm._

_She kicked backwards. "Let me go Tom!" she screamed._

_He chuckled. "I think not. Let's throw her in the lake!" he shouted to his friends, over the laughter and whoops and hollers._

_Her eyes grew wide. "No, no! Anything but that! Let me go!" she tried to pull away, but they did what they would with her. Dragging her farther out onto a dock, the tossed her into the deepest part of the lake. She screamed, thrashing around for a hand hold. But she heard someone else scream for once, and a few other splashes. _

_She felt a hand grab her by the back of her shirt, and she was dragged up by strong arms. She was helped into the bottom of a small boat and she hunched over, coughing out the water in her lungs._

_She heard someone laugh, but it wasn't mocking or mean, it was light and humorous. "Looks like you aren't much of a water bird ay Raven?" the person patted her on the back carefully. "Are you okay?"_

_She nodded, wiping her wet hair out of her face. When she looked up she saw the most gorgeous human boy she had ever laid eyes on. He was tall, broad and muscular, with dark brown hair and lightly tanned skin. His eyes were a bright brilliant mixture of blues and greens and he had a smile filled with strait white teeth. He didn't look very special wearing just some black jeans and tank-top, but something about him was just nice._

_He laughed again, and started rowing the boat around the lake._

_"Who-who are you?" she shivered._

_He tossed her his unused jacket as he stopped rowing. "The name's Nico…" he grabbed a fishing pole and cast out into the water. "We're in the same poisons and antidotes class." _

_She watched him as he reeled his line in carelessly. "I'm sorry, I don't remember seeing you."_

_He shrugged and cast out again. "It's okay, I'm technically not in that class anymore but I still go and hang out on the rafters."_

_She gave him a rare smile. "Mind if I join you up there sometime?"_

_He shook his head, his eyes twinkling. "Not at all."_

_X-X-X_

_ Grabbing the fallen sword, she whipped around and slit the man's throat. She stood over his bleeding dead body for some time before her attention moved to her fallen comrade. "Nico!" she rushed to his side and knelt down beside him. His chest was soaked with blood, sticky and dark. He smiled weakly at her, but it turned to a grimace as his breathing hitched. _

_"Nico, you're going to be okay." She promised. "Come on, you have to get up." She hooked her arm under his shoulder and tried to hoist him up but he pushed her away._

_"It's okay Raven…" he whispered. "I'm finished."_

_Tears started streaming down her cheeks. "No…no, you're going to be fine. Don't talk that way Nico!" she begged him._

_He looked at her sadly, taking her smaller hand in his bloodied one. "We've had a lot of adventures together Raven. It's time you made some of your own. Besides, I know where I'm going…" he pulled at the necklace around his neck and firmly pushed it into her hand. "I'll be fine…"_

_"Nico…" she choked._

_He caressed her cheek with his thumb. "Take care of yourself, waterfowl." He smiled when he used his appointed nickname for her. "I'll see you on the other side…" She watched his eyes close. She saw him take a deep breath. Then he was still._

_"No…NO!"_

* * *

"NICO!" Raven bolted awake! Her face was wet with tears and her night shirt was drenched in sweat. Her heart hammered in her chest and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She felt that nothing she could say would come out coherent so she merely cried out in anguish, screaming her pains into the dark night.

She pulled the necklace away from her neck and cradled it in the palms of her sweaty hands. Nico's dying gift to her, a black string with a metal cross attached to it. "Nico…why?" she whispered. "WHY!"

* * *

Raven sat on the rafters, above everyone in the room looking down at them. Her legs dangled down below her but she was high enough up that no one saw her. She heard the Koopalings laughing and splashing each other in the pool below and she grimaced. She had never had good experiences with water and laughing, except with Nico….

She shook herself, forcing the memories back. She didn't want to break down again. As far as she knew, no one had heard her the night before but she didn't want to draw any more attention to herself that day.

Standing up on the wooden beam, she walked across it so that she was positioned above a table just to the side of the pool. Then she sat down again and continued to wait.

She watched as five of the eight Koopalings played in the water with their "Mama Peach". All of them but Iggy, Junior and Ludwig were present. So, she continued to wait. She had heard that all the Koopalings were meeting there today for some reason, and she couldn't think of a better time to spring a trap on Ludwig for his first lesson in defending himself.

"Cannon Ball!" Roy shouted, and there was a loud splash followed by shrieks and shouts.

Wendy glared at her brother when he resurfaced and pushed him back under before he could take a proper breath. The boy came back up sputtering and shouting at her but she just retreated back behind Peach and stuck her tongue out at him.

Peach laughed, her crystal clear sound and Raven sighed. She almost never laughed in joy anymore, everything was either too serious or wicked.

A door opened and the last three Koopalings came in. The littlest, Junior, ran and jumped into the water while his older siblings waited by the edge. Raven stood ready now, crouched holding her butter knife. Glad to finally have something to get her mind off of the events of the night, she watched her target and awaited the perfect chance to strike…

* * *

**Hey, I know this isn't the most interesting chapter…and It was kind of short… and I didn't get much Koopalings in here…but hey, I wanted to post it now and not have this chapter be extremely huge and boring…**

**Sorry everything's not so 'perfect', I've been really distracted lately so this is the best this chapter is going to get for a while. I might actually come back and edit it again someday…**

**Anyways! Hope the next chapter will be a bit more interesting and better written. And I might have it out soon, depending on how long it takes me to write the first two pages. If I can get it mostly done tonight I could have it out as early as Monday or Tuesday, but I'm not promising anything.**

**Hope you all like this. Thank you all for the reviews! I treasure them greatly! **


	18. Chapter 18:Family

** Eighteen**

Ludwig smiled as Junior jumped into the water. He was thankful that his brother was better and could join in on the fun with his siblings. Iggy beside him laughed and jumped in after their little brother, leaving Ludwig alone on the tile floor.

He crossed his arms and watched his family at play. It wasn't often they _all_ got along at the _same_ time on the _same_ day, but it almost always was when Peach was around. But he himself was slightly at odds with her at the moment. Of course, he had been able to sniff out that something was bothering Wendy and she had cracked down and told him all about what she had overheard from outside Peach's room. She seemed to feel better after she told him and was now acting completely fine.

He couldn't believe that Peach would say she hated his father. He believed she could think it, but the fact that she _said_ it made him feel livid. He had thought her higher than that. To think that she could stoop to so low a level was beyond him.

"Ludwig, aren't you coming in?"

He turned at the sound of the Princess's voice, but shook his head. "I think I may in a moment." Something didn't feel right. It was like a tingling sensation down his spine. His tail twitched in agitation at the undefined annoyance. It felt like…like…

He looked up and cringed.

It felt like someone was watching him.

Raven stood on the rafters above him, looking down on him with a knife in her hand. He had known that she would try to get the drop on him, his father told him that she would but he hadn't expected it to be so soon. But when he looked at her closer, he was surprised. She looked sad. When they locked gazes she put her knife away and walked in the opposite direction of him.

He watched her jump down from the high rafters in front of the door. She landed on her hands and feet in a crouch, with a small '_oomph!_'. Then she got up, brushed herself off and started out the door with a slight limp in her right leg.

On an impulse he decided to follow her.

"Raven!" he called to her when he saw her at the end of the hallway outside of the room. She stopped in her tracks but didn't look back at him. He quickly caught up to her. "Are you alright?"

She nodded quickly. "I've had worse landings then that. It'll stop hurting in a few hours…"

He looked at her a little confusedly but soon caught on to what she said. "Oh no, I meant-"

"I'm fine." She cut him off.

"Raven," he tried to keep her from leaving, "what is troubling you?"

She started down the hall again but stopped when his hand wrapped itself around her wrist. She seemed just as surprised as he was. "It's nothing, _really_." She tried to convince him. "Just go enjoy the time with your family…"

"Why don't you remain with us?" He asked.

She shook her head and pulled away. "No Ludwig… I couldn't intrude on family time. It's not my place."

Ludwig crossed his arms, not giving in. "Technically Peach is not of relation to us. You are not intruding at all on 'family time'."

She sighed and shook her head with a small smile. "No offense, but you couldn't be even more wrong. You don't have to be _related_ to be family." She almost laughed when he looked at her in confusion. "_Technically_, I don't have any biological siblings…but I had a brother once."

Ludwig raised an eyebrow, completely at a loss. "Was he adopted?" He couldn't comprehend how it was otherwise possible.

She shook her head. "No, my parents didn't even meet him."

"Well, how is that probable?" he asked.

She was silent for a time before answering. He could tell she couldn't keep the disbelief out of her voice. "You…are very closed-minded." She put her hands on her hips looking, in Ludwig's eyes, scarily like a teacher about to give a lecture. But he didn't mind lectures. "What defines family to you Ludwig?"

"Biologically related people." He answered without a second thought.

"Okay, so you're saying that you aren't related to Peach because she isn't your biological mother?" he nodded. "Alright, how can I explain it?" after a pause she asked another question. "Have you ever had a best friend, or ever considered anyone of great importance to you, or they held you in great importance?"

He thought about for a moment. "Well…I did used to refer to Kamek as my grandfather, but that was when I was very young. He's not really family, he just takes care of us."

"See? That's where you're being closed-minded!" she exclaimed. "Sometimes the easiest things to see are when you are young. Kamek is a part of your family, I've only been here a week and a few days and I can see that. So is Kammy, and Peach." She reached into her shirt and pulled out a small necklace, studying it with a sad expression. "My brother came into my life and left very quickly…Too quickly. Take every chance you get to be with your family Ludwig, biologically related or not. You never know when they will leave forever."

With that, he watched her walk down the hall.

* * *

"Ludy, what's wrong? You're sitting there like a bump on a long." Roy demanded, splashing water up in the oldest sibling's face.

Ludwig wiped the water away from his eyes with a disapproving growl. "Nothing is wrong _brother_." He then smiled almost mischievously. "Only that you haven't been dunked properly yet…"

Roy's eyes grew large. "No! No, Wendy already did it!" he objected.

Ludwig jumped into the water. "Obviously not good enough." He grabbed his brother's right arm. "Iggy help me pitch him into the deep end!"

His brother immediately complied.

Junior swam closer to them. "Can I help this time?" He begged with his cutest 'puppy eyes'.

"Of course." The older brothers said in unison.

Peach laughed from across the pool. "Boys, is that really necessary?"

Roy sighed and turned to her with a regretful expression. "Unfortunately yes…It's a tradition with these two…"

"Three!" Junior objected, grabbing onto Roy's tail.

With the combined strength of the older brothers, they hefted Roy and Junior out of the water and threw him into the deeper side of the pool! Roy almost screamed, and Junior just held onto his tail for dear life until the water splashed up around them. When they came up again, Roy was sputtering some words that probably shouldn't have been said around Junior, and the rest of the Koopalings started laughing. Even Peach joined in.

Ludwig looked over at Peach. When he thought about it, he realized that what Raven said rang true. Even though she didn't get along with their father, and he himself didn't get along with her at times, she was family to them. She was their "Mama Peach" for a reason. She was kind to them. She treated them like equal beings. And she loved them. She was Mama Peach because she was the closest thing to a mother that any of them had ever had…

* * *

Everything was dark…There was nothing…

Then, there was pain. Terrible agonizing pain! It felt like fire in his blood. A Darklandian river of lava running through him… But he couldn't move. He couldn't see. He couldn't hear his own screams that he was sure that he was uttering.

Something shook him.

"Mario! Mario!"

What was that? Mario? Who was Mario?

_Wait a minute! I-a am-a Mario!_ Suddenly he saw a bright light. A tunnel lead him through the darkness, closer to the bright white light… He started to hear the beeping of a monitor. A man clad in green stood beside him, in the white room. Next to him was a girl with long brown hair. He recognized them immediately.

"L-Luigi? D-Daisy?" he was shocked at how small his own voice sounded. "What-a happened? What-a am-a I doing-a here?"

* * *

**Dun! Dun! Duuuunnnn! Mario's Back! You didn't think he'd die did you? This **_**is**_** a Mario story after all… :) Hope this is satisfactory. Sorry it's a bit later then I said it would be (and it's short...Again!). Please leave a review and tell me what you think. **

**Next Chapter will be up whenever I get it finished. I have nothing of it yet and I have to work on my other story "Cave In" because I kind of left people hanging, but I will start on the next chapter as soon as I can. :)**


	19. Chapter 19: Nothing's changed

** Nineteen**

Peach sighed and looked at out the window at the clown copter that waited to bring the Koopa family to wherever they wanted to go. She had exactly twenty-three minutes to decide if she was going or not. Bowser had surprised her when he'd said she had a choice. Honestly, the only reason she wanted to stay behind was to spite him. She knew he wanted her to go, and that he was probably just using his kids as an excuse to get her to go willingly.

She hummed indecisively, and went to her closet. Everything in the walk in room was filled with pink clothes. From ball gowns to sportswear…but mostly just dresses, hung from the racks. She thumbed through the skirt section thoughtfully, biting her bottom lip out of habit.

"Decisions…decisions…"

She jumped at the unannounced arrival to her room. Spinning around, she put her hands on her hips. "Raven! I told you not to sneak up on me like that!" she snapped, though not too harshly. During the past few days the girl had been a little less of a nuisance and actually became a compatible friend. As long as they stayed away from subjects like Bowser, they got along quite finely. "What are you doing here anyways?"

The girl shrugged, pulling her black hair out of its pony tail and letting it fall about her shoulders. "Same as you I guess." She sighed and then groaned, leaning against the doorway. "Ludwig asked me to come on the trip too."

Peach turned back to flipping through clothes. "Is that bad?"

"Yes!" Raven vented. "I told him that I didn't want to interrupt family time, but he's so insistent!" she slid down to sit on the floor, shaking her head. "I don't get it…"

"Maybe he likes you." Peach suggested slyly, already knowing the answer herself. She picked out a knee long pink and white skirt and pressed it up against her waste to see if she liked it. When she did, she set it aside and continued with her search.

It was silent for a few minutes before she heard Raven's quiet reply.

"You think so?"

It sounded so shy, so desperate to believe.

Peach nodded. "I do think so." She looked at a few shirts but quickly decided on one of her all time favorites. She threw it on top of the skirt. "So are you going to go with?"

Raven blew some hair out of her face. "Are you?"

"Hmm…maybe…" she admitted.

"What's stopping you? And don't say it's because of Bowser." She said quickly.

It was her turn to groan. "I don't know… I guess I'd feel weird going."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Why'd you feel weird?"

Peach twirled a finger through her golden hair. "I kind of told Bowser that I hate him…"

The black clad girl's eyes narrowed dangerously. Standing up she thrust the clothes that Peach had selected back into her arms. "That's it, you're going. We're both going." She said firmly, walking out of the closet and closing the door with a frightening slam.

Peach rushed to the door and tried to open it, only to find it locked. "Hey!" she banged on the door. "Hey, let me out!" she ordered. "Why are you doing this?"

She could almost feel the malice from Raven's voice. "Because, you're being a jerk! I've had a long time to study both you and Bowser and as far as I'm concerned, you're more of a monster than he is. Now get dressed woman!"

Peach glared at the door. "Monster? _I'm_ a monster?"

"Yup."

* * *

Peach glared at her ex-friend as she was pushed out the door into the castle gardens. She tried to pull away, but Raven coughed and pushed the fork against her back again. Peach had initially refused to change clothes, that was until Raven had threatened to go in and dress her herself. And when Peach refused to leave her room Raven had used force.

She groaned, seeing the clown copter closer now. She could hear the Koopalings fighting and Bowser laughing his deep booming laugh. "Raven please, I'll do anything, don't make me go out there!" she begged.

"Too late for that." Raven hissed, giving the Mushroom princess one last hard look before smiling brightly as they entered the view of the others. Peach felt the fork leave her back and was pushed forward against her will yet again. She stumbled slightly but caught herself on the brick wall that surrounded the garden.

"Mama Peach!" Junior exclaimed, as he ran to give her a hug.

She laughed and scooped him up in her arms, quickly trying to ignore Raven. "Are you all better now?" she ruffled his feathery red hair fondly as he nodded. "That's great Junior… Where are we going?"

Junior looked like he wanted to burst, but he covered his mouth with both his hands quickly. Looking over his shoulders at his brothers to check if they were listening he leaned closer to her. "I can't tell you, it's a secret." He assured her.

Peach nodded in understanding. "I see… When are we leaving?"

"When Wendy, Iggy and Ludy come! Duh!" Junior laughed, and ran back to play with his brothers.

When she stood up again Raven had disappeared and in her place was the biggest pain in the neck she ever had to deal with. Their eyes locked, and for a few moments neither of them moved. She felt like she couldn't breathe either.

"You look nice…" Bowser commented.

"Whatever…" she mumbled, seeing him visibly flinch at her tone…

He sighed. "I admit, I didn't think you'd come." he said, his eyes betraying what he was feeling. She could tell that he was still, for lack of better words on her part, hurting from what she had said to him. He looked sad and tired, like he hadn't slept in days.

"I didn't think I'd come either." She crossed her bare arms, regretting not putting on some gloves.

"What made you change your mind?" he asked.

She looked directly at him, her firm tone and gaze still fixed. "Nothing. Because nothing's changed…"

He nodded, looking almost depressed. "I understand."

* * *

"And-a that's-a what happened-a." Luigi finished his and Daisy's story.

Mario looked at the two of them in shock. Bowser had attacked them? He didn't remember any of that! And frankly, he didn't think Bowser had the capability to put him in a hospital for a month in a coma…

He looked up from the white bed sheet. "Where's-a Peach?"

Daisy and Luigi exchanged glances before the princess answered. "Bowser took her, but there's no ransom note, no heavily guarded paths throughout the kingdoms and we have no idea where she is."

Mario looked at them horrified. "I've-a been out for a month-a, and no-a one knows where-a she is?" he sat straight up and started to rip the IV out of his arm.

Luigi pulled his hand away from the medical tool. "Mario stop!"

"You're not strong enough to just get up and leave!" Daisy chimed in.

Mario ignored them both and pushed his brother away. "Peach-a is in danger! And-a she must-a be saved!" He pulled the IV out and jumped off of the bed, only to fall flat on his face when his legs wouldn't work. "Oof!"

* * *

"Sire…" a voice spoke out from the darkness. "I'm afraid….Raven hasn't made contact."

"Meaning?"

"She is dead."

The king turned around in his chair and looked down at the layout of the Darklandian castle. "Or she doesn't wish to be found…"

"What shall we do sire?"

The king smirked, running his fingers over his short cut beard. "We switch tactics…"

"And what about Raven?" the voice asked.

The king's eyes narrowed at the spot in the shadows. "Find her and bring her to her senses."

* * *

**Hi guys! Here's Chapter nineteen! Thanks for staying so faithful with this story! Almost over 1500 hits on this story! I'm so excited :) and Thank-you B10, you encouraged me to get this done a lot sooner then it would've been originally! **

**Hope you guys liked it. Please Review or PM (or both), I love feed back!**


	20. Chapter 20: Such a lovable family

** Twenty**

The Clown Copter's engines revved and it slowly began to rise into the air. Ludwig looked over the edge at the ground below, wishing with every bone in his body that they would land soon. He wasn't a fan of flying, he'd be the first to admit that. But this time he forced himself not to get air sick. He couldn't look stupid, not in front of Raven…wherever she was…

He looked around the deck. So far he hadn't seen her. His brothers all said that she had been with Peach when she arrived, but after that it was like she had disappeared. He sighed, shaking his head. He just hoped that she didn't decide to ditch them at the last moment. He had taken a painful fifty-two and one half minutes to convince her to come along, he hoped it wasn't all for nothing.

"What's wrong Ludwig?" Wendy leaned against the rail next to him.

He chanced a short glance in her direction. "Nothing, dear sister…" he said quietly.

"Aww come on…" she gave him a sly glance. "I know that look on anyone. You're thinking about a girl aren't you?"

He didn't answer, but turned away from her embarrassedly. He heard her giggle and felt his face go red. "Please Wendy, I do not have the desire to discuss it…"

She grinned and laughed, scarily like a female version of their father's laugh. "It _is_ about a girl!" she leaned in closer to him. "Tell me, tell me everything!" she demanded, but suddenly her eyes widened. "No… It's that Raven girl isn't it? That's it isn't it?"

He sighed knowing that he couldn't lie to her, he wasn't a good liar. He wordlessly nodded and glanced around the airship. As far as he could tell Raven wasn't there, still. He clasped his hands together and tapped them on the rail. "Yes, it is her Wendy. I like her." he said simply.

Wendy's mouth fell open. "Ludwig, she tried to kill you!"

He nodded but shrugged at the same time. "I do not concern myself with that fact."

Her hand waved in front of his face and she snapped her fingers, making him jump. "Ludwig, are you crazy? What's wrong with you? Did she hypnotize you or something?"

He pushed her hand away exasperatedly. "Wendy I am in excellent condition. There is nothing malfunctioning about me. I just…" he trailed off when he finally saw Raven jump down from out of nowhere, scaring Roy. He watched her turn and laugh, her ponytail flipping about in the wind before cascading down her shoulder. She was absolutely gorgeous to him. "I'm in love with her… She is amazing, talented and beautiful…"

Wendy looked about as confused as a penguin in the desert. "You're in love with the girl who tried to cut your heart out?" She suddenly rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Totally ironic…"

He chuckled a little. "Perhaps a smidge bit ironic, yes."

* * *

Ludwig approached his father slowly. The noise of his siblings playing behind them was a little less earsplitting at the controls of the flying ship. Standing next to the king, he clasped his hands behind his back and looked forward over the very distant ground. "Father." He addressed the king.

Bowser looked at his son from out of the corner of his eye. "Ludwig."

He cleared his throat and turned to look at Bowser directly. "Father, I hope that my requesting Raven to come is not troublesome to you. I know that I did not exactly get your approval to do so…"

Bowser chuckled. "Very uncharacteristic of you isn't it?"

Ludwig nodded. "Yes father, and I am very sorry-"

The King laughed. "Don't be sorry Ludwig! Everyone needs to be a rebel at one point in their life. If this is all you can throw at me I count it as a good thing. I dread the day Wendy decides to rebel…" he sighed, steering the ship's wheel casually. "No, Ludwig you are a very mild mannered boy and I am thankful for that."

Ludwig nodded his thanks and leaned against the rail again, with a sigh. "Do you think that asking her to come with was a bad idea father?"

Bowser thought about it for a moment before answering. "Bad idea? No. Strange one? Probably… I question your methods only because it seems a bit forward, going on a family vacation."

Ludwig gulped. "Do you think that's bad?"

His father shook his head. "No, not really. She seems to be enjoying herself."

They both looked over to where she stood leaning over the rail to watch the ground below them. Her hair whipped about uncontrollably but she didn't seem to mind too much. Her gaze was distant and her lips formed a soft smile.

Bowser nudged him in her direction. "Why don't you go talk to her? That's the reason you asked her to come isn't it?"

"Y-yes it is." He stuttered a little nervously. He took one step closer to her, but then turned back. "Father, do you approve of her? I must know that you do before my heart and soul is set on her."

He smiled humorously. "Ludwig, as I have said before, as long as you like her I am fine with whoever you are attracted to… but in her case, as long as she really doesn't want to kill you, I think that she is a wonderful girl."

Ludwig nodded. "Thank-you father."

As he approached Raven, she glanced up at him out of the corner of her eye. She smiled, sighed, and shook her head. Turning back to staring at the ground, she seemed to act like she didn't know he was there. He cleared his throat and stood beside her. Looking over the edge he could feel himself growing sick, so instead he looked at her.

"Can I help you?" she asked, sounding completely bad-tempered, and then laughed when he became tongue tied. She turned around to face him, her smile bright and welcoming. "I'm just kidding! So, where are we going?"

"Uh…" he mentally scolded himself. _You're not a dumb buffoon! Pull yourself together!_ "I haven't the slightest clue. Father and Junior are keeping the location quite secret." He tried to relax, taking a calming breath. "However, if I was required to guess I would say that we are going camping."

Raven bit her lip and looked back over the edge of the air ship. "Camping…"

It was his turn to bite his lip. "Have you ever gone camping?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes… In training I had to survive out in the wilderness for two months, given nothing but a pair of very dull scissors…" she cringed at the memory. "That was a very painful two months for me."

Ludwig quickly closed his mouth before she could see that it had dropped open. He tried to think of something to say. "That doesn't sound like camping, that sounds like torture." He finally said, hoping that she would still want to talk to him.

She smiled again, "It was torture, but I learned a lot of my survival skills from that trip." She twisted a lock of her black hair around one of her fingers. "So if that isn't camping, what is?"

"Well, in our family this outdoor tradition is only one _week_ long, not two months-" he paused when she laughed. He had made her laugh! "-and we have a selection of different supplies, including very _sharp_ scissors."

"Well the scissors are all I'll need." She moved a little closer to him and he noticed that she was getting cold chills on her neck.

"Hey, should we go inside? It becomes rather chilly out here…" he instinctively touched her cold hand, but removed his action when he realized how awkward that could be perceived.

She looked up at him, "Yes let's, I'm freezing."

He motioned towards the door with a hand and then followed her down into the lower deck of the air craft.

* * *

"-and then Lemmy fell in. After that the remaining of us just jumped in to join them in the river." Ludwig smiled at the memory of their family's second camping trip.

Raven laughed, "It sounds like fun." She sipped her hot tea and set the cup back on the table they were at.

"It was." Sipping his own drink, he watched her attentively. Over the past hour he had described to the best of his ability what camping was, but then just ended up telling her stories of his own experiences.

"You have a nice family."

The comment came as a bit of a surprise, but he nodded simply. "I am certainly fortunate to have them."

They both jumped when there was a loud shout.

"LEMMY GET YOUR BUTT BACK HERE!" Wendy shouted menacingly.

Both Lemmy and Larry ran through the kitchen screaming, followed by a very angry sister. "Ludy Help! She's going to kill us!" Larry screeched.

Ludwig coved his eyes embarrassedly as the three of his younger siblings chased each other around the table. He groaned when Raven laughed, he must've just made himself look like a fool.

"Give me back my Bow!" Wendy demanded , finally grabbing Lemmy by one of his small horns.

"No way baldy!" Larry edged away.

"Larry help! Give her the bow! I wanna live!" Lemmy cried.

Ludwig noticed that Raven was laughing so hard she was coughing. Her eyes were tearing up and she could barely speak.

"I-I love this family!" she gasped.

Finally Ludwig got up and intervened, feeling more at ease since she was laughing at his family and not exactly him. "Alright you three, break up this exchange of blows." He pulled Wendy and Lemmy apart and snatched the bow away from Larry, returning it to its rightful owner. "What would father say if he saw you squabbling like so?"

"He'd say-gotchyer bow!" Larry caught the pink item again and turned heal to flee. The three younger siblings all left the way they came, screaming in fear and fun.

Raven finally caught her breath. "Hey, you did what you could."

He nodded in agreement. "I try."

* * *

"How long until he can walk on his own two feet Doc T.?" Daisy asked, glancing over her shoulder at the two Mario brothers. Luigi was discussing the reason why they hadn't yet gone to look for Peach yet. As far as any one of them knew, Peach could've just disappeared. No one knew where she was exactly.

The little mushroom man hummed to himself. "I don't know your highness. Maybe a few weeks?" he looked down at his chart. "Maybe a month?"

"A month!" Daisy groaned. There was no way Mario would stay put in a hospital bed for a month. He would sooner drag himself on all fours to the Darklands.

There was a shout from behind her. "We-a must save Peach!" again, for what seemed the fiftieth time, he tried to jump off of the bed. Again, like all the other times, he collapsed on the floor. Luigi hurried to help him up but Daisy stayed put.

"Are you sure he's not suffering from any brain damage?" she asked.

* * *

**hey everybody! sorry it took so long to get this up. I've been on vacation, family has been over and I've been very busy. But I'm sorry to say that the next chapter might take even longer to put up, I have a lot of things coming up.**

**Hope you guys liked this chapter. Please review if you did. I love my reviews! And they encourage me to upload faster! :) **

**BTW I have a sketch of Peach on my DA account if you guys want to go see it. It doesn't have color yet but I like to think it looks half decent.**


	21. Chapter 21: Not as torturous as it seems

** Twenty-one**

The bright orange fire crackled and sparked into the night air. Raven stared at it from a few feet away, leaning against the base of a large tree. She watched it dance and swirl as it lit up the faces of the others and listened as Roy told his story of the time he bested a Pirate captain off the shores of Yoshi Island. She noted that Bowser was grinning proudly at his son.

"-and then I told him never to come back." Roy finished proudly.

The Koopalings cheered at the end of the story, and Raven laughed. She loved the royal family, they prided themselves in being bad but in all honesty they were very good people. She studied each and every one of the people around the fire as Junior started up a story about the time he had caught someone's tail on fire. Everyone lit up in excitement, laughing hysterically at the image of a poor Koopa running around on fire until finally jumping into a fountain. Even Princess Peach seemed to be having a decent time.

Raven jumped when Ludwig touched her hand, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"What?" she looked around the family questioningly. "Did I miss something?"

"Do you have any stories to share?" Iggy repeated the question, looking at her from the corner of his eye as he skewered another marshmallow on his stick.

Raven quickly shook her head politely. "No, you wouldn't want to hear anything from my life." She popped a gooey burnt marshmallow into her mouth, chewing it slowly. She had never had such a thing before and found it only enjoyable burnt to a crisp on the outside. "My life is much too gruesome to tell." She said after she swallowed. "Plus all of its classified information."

"But you're our prisoner, doesn't that mean you have to tell us all your secrets?" Junior pointed his roasting stick at her accusingly.

Ludwig shot his youngest brother a stern look. "Junior, she is not our prisoner. She's my guest."

Roy laughed, shoving his stick into the fire. "_You're_ guest, maybe, but she's still _our_ prisoner! There's a reason she has a Chain Chomp collar on ya'know." He gave her a mocking look. "So spill the beans sissy." He crossed his arms with a smirk.

Raven was silent. Thoughts of Nico flashed through her mind, of all the good and bad times they had had together. Suddenly she didn't feel very well. Her heart sunk at the thought of her life. She hadn't thought about the bad things that had happened or that she had done in a few weeks… but now that she started to think about it again she felt horrible.

She glared at Roy, getting to her feet. "There are some things in life that are better left unsaid." She whispered, her eyes becoming murderous. "And its best left at that." She stepped over the log she had been sitting on and took to the woods running.

"Raven?" She heard Ludwig's confused voice behind her, but she kept going. She had to get away.

Her boots pounded on the ground as she sprinted. Twigs snapped as she picked up speed, leaves crumpled when she slipped, and her heart raced as she soared over the fallen trees. Thoughts and painful memories raced through her mind. Blood, war, death, destruction. It was all so very vivid. All so very fresh…

She finally stopped running when she felt her Chain Chomp collar start to constrict. She quickly stumbled back the direction she had come, gasping for breath as she leaned against a tree. She didn't know how long she had run but it didn't seem long enough. The image of her fallen comrade still burned in her eyes. And her heart hadn't stopped hurting.

She sat down slowly, letting some small tears slowly escape her eyes. She looked around the darkened woods and sniffed, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand. "Gross…" she mumbled, wiping her hand on the ground.

She didn't want to go back to them. She hadn't even wanted to go _with_ them. She was just trying to get Peach not to be such a stubborn prissy. She knew that she would have to return eventually, and she didn't fancy staying out in the woods by herself. She had had enough of that in training.

She sighed deeply and got up to her feet again. Her thighs burned from the sudden run but she felt better, well at least not so angry and frustrated. She started wandering back aimlessly, taking her time.

"Raven?" She heard Ludwig call her name and some twigs snapped.

She ducked behind a tree. She had to get her mind off of Nico. _Time for a little more training…_ she slowly slid a fork from her pocket and gripped it tightly. _Let's see if you've learned anything…_

She waited till his gaze finally met hers before she attacked, taking advantage of his temporary shock. She punched at his throat and smiled in pride when he blocked quickly and returned with a backhand. She dodged his blow for the most part and kicked down at his knee. He turned away, stumbling into a tree. She gained the upper hand (although she was sure she had already had it), and pinned him against the tree.

"You're getting better." she admitted, wiping a little blood away from her arm.

He bit his lip, staring at the cut on her arm. "I have wounded you, again..."

She nodded, applying a small amount of steady pressure to the wound. "Its fine, I've had worse. It just means you're getting better."

"I do not enjoy bringing you harm, especially when it seems you are using the pain as an outlet! You appear to enjoy me giving you pain..." his eyes held concern for her and she felt a little guilty.

"Perhaps I do..." she said quietly. In reality she did enjoy pain, it reminded her that she was alive. And she did like it when he landed a blow, it meant he was getting better! That was a good thing wasn't it?

She sighed and sat down. He stood beside her awkwardly, looking around the surrounding trees. "I'm sorry." she said finally. "I know you don't like it but it's for your own good. This will be the last time we _fight_ on this trip."

He sat down beside her, resting a scaly hand on her thigh. "Why don't you just relax Raven? You seem a bit high strung."

"I don't belong here Ludwig... This is family bonding time, I'm not a part of it..." she trailed off.

He gave her a sad look. "Raven, I want you to be a part of this-...week." he finished, looking away for a moment.

She glanced up at him, barely catching the pause in his sentence. She chose to ignore it as interrupted train if thought, but she couldn't ignore that his thumb was stroking her leg. She took a shaky breath and touched his hand softly. He didn't react beyond taking her smaller hand in his.

She looked him over carefully. She had noticed a while back that he had spells where his mind would wander and could see plainly that he was having one of those moments. She gripped his hand firmly and looked out over the river a few yards away. It sparkled in the moonlight like diamonds.

"Raven..." she looked back at him but he was still looking away. "I would like you to join us on the canoeing trip tomorrow, if you would like to…" He gave her a small side glance. "I do not want you to be uncomfortable because of your views of _family bonding_-" she laughed quietly at the emphasis, "-but I want you to have fun."

She smiled slightly. "I'll think about it." She stood up, brushing herself off and checking her arm again. It was starting to bleed a little worse. "I should probably bandage that." She sighed, starting back the way she had came from the camp.

* * *

Staring up at the stars with the fire crackling beside her, Raven gave a long sigh of content. Whether Ludwig knew it or not she was having a good time. Sure the bugs were everywhere and there wasn't a place she could get away to be alone without anyone following her, but she enjoyed the sights and the company.

She looked over at the Koopas, all lying out on mats under the stars. Ludwig was still awake, she noticed his eyes traveling over the stars. He was a good person, very kind and honest. He was smart and talented, everything that she could ever dream of.

She rolled over and wrapped her blanket closer around her. She thought about what Peach had said earlier that morning in her closet. What if Ludwig did like her? She couldn't help but blush, it wasn't a horrible idea to her. And she couldn't help but find his personality attractive, despite little things here and there. She didn't care that he wasn't human, she refused to care about that because she didn't want to be like Peach. She liked him for who he was, and she hoped deep in her heart that he felt the same way…

* * *

**I'd like to give a special thanks to AnOnYmOuS for being the 40****th**** reviewer! I was going to post this chapter when I got a 40****th**** review, but I didn't have it written yet. And thank you all for being so patient, I know this one took a while, but I have the rest of the book all plotted out so things should be a little faster coming, **_**should be**_**… **

**I'll have the next chapter up as soon as it is written. I promise! Thank-you for reading and please leave a Review! :)**


	22. Chapter 22: Camping!

**I am so sorry! I know I was supposed to have this out forever ago, I just lost inspiration for it again and I didn't write it until now. I've been distracted by other stories and school, it's just been crazy. So I'm sorry dear readers. I'm sorry for neglecting this. Without any further wait, I give you... Chapter 22! :)**

* * *

**Twenty-two**

Raven tried to ignore the fact that Peach wasn't paddling. She had chosen the back of the canoe because she knew the older princess wasn't very strong, or had very much endurance, but she had still expected better of the pink headache. Since the moment they entered the boat together she had been little help at all.

She pulled her wooden paddle through the water, listening to it splash around the boat. Normally, she would never make any noise while canoeing down a river but she was taking a few liberties today. She decided earlier that she wasn't going to care about things she had learned in training. She was going to have fun and ignore anyone who looked at her weird.

She glanced across the water at Ludwig and laughed. He and Iggy were paddling in circles in the water, the current pushing them sideways and making them spin out of control. Iggy was clearly telling him the physics of why they shouldn't be rowing on the same side, and Ludwig seemed completely embarrassed. She laughed even harder when they ended up turned completely around going backwards down the river.

Peach shrieked when Lemmy and Larry came up from behind their canoe and bumped into them. They swerved sideways, and Raven saw some sort of catapult attached to the middle of their canoe. "Attack!" Larry shouted, launching a red water-balloon at them! Peach shrieked again as it hit the side of their boat, splashing water on her.

Raven jammed her oar into the water, switching sides to slow them down, bringing them side-by-side with the boys. "Hey, no fair!" she fake glared at the two of them. "We don't have any ammo!"

The boys both smirked and loaded more balloons into their catapult. "Sucks to be you!" They laughed and launched the exploding projectiles again, this time hitting Raven square in the chest! She gasped in surprise, looking down at her soaked black tank top.

She looked up at them slowly, and they were frozen in place. "You asked for it." she stood up, making the boat rock, and used her oar to grab onto their canoe. They screamed, trying to push it away. She brought the boats closer together and jumped into theirs. She crouched down so the boat wouldn't tip over and grabbed two balloons. Standing up again she held the balloons, one in each hand, over the boys' heads and squeezed them until they burst all over the two of them.

They growled as water dripped down their faces, but Larry clapped lightly. "Well played."

She gave them a small bow and hopped back over to hers and Peach's boat. "Thank-you." She thrust Peach's oar into her hands. "Come on Peach, I'm doing all the work!"

"Oh, fine!" Peach smiled and started rowing again.

They moved on without conflict, until the river entered into a lake and a small island came into view. Roy brightened up considerably and pointed at the sandy beach of the island. "There it is!" He grinned, back at the others. "Race you all there!" He and Morton sped forward towards it. Wendy, their passenger, shrieked when a wave of water splashed up on her but she otherwise ignored their race.

"See you there, losery-losers!" Morton spat back at the people they passed.

Raven watched as Junior started rowing faster with his father to catch up with his brothers. Bowser laughed at his son's attempts to row, he just didn't get that the oar was supposed to be submersed in the water, not just skim the top.

* * *

Raven picked up a small broken stick and poked her finger with the top. _Not sharp enough_… "Hmm…" she looked around for another one. "Which one, which one…" she scooped up another, but tossed it aside, regarding it as too thick. She bit her bottom lip, she needed it to be sharp and thin enough to fashion into a spearhead. She had seen some fish in the water and had been hungry since breakfast, partially because she had skipped it, and it was almost lunch time. She picked up another stick, finding it a bit better than any of the others.

"What are you doing?" Peach smacked a pine branch out of her face.

"I'm getting lunch, what does it look like I'm doing?" she shoved the stick into the princess's hands and looked for another one. "Haven't you ever heard of spear fishing? It's really fun actually, when you get the hang of it."

Peach laughed behind her, amusement clear on her face. "You know, they have a fire going and we're roasting hot dogs right now."

Raven froze, turning around to face her. "They're eating _dogs_?" her mouth fell agape in horror. "And you're okay with that? What kind of sick people are you guys?" she threw her new stick on the ground, shaking her head in disbelief. "I can take fire breathing and claws, but they're eating _dogs_? That is just so sick!" she spat on the ground at her feet, glaring at the princess. "How could you-ugh!"

Peach laughed again, making the black clad girl fume. "Raven, there _hot_ dogs. They're not really dogs." She explained.

"Oh," the anger and sick feeling drained from her immediately, replaced by relief. The horrible image of some poor puppy being roasted over a fire left and she calmed down. "What are hot dogs?"

The princess rolled her eyes comically, shaking her head. "What kind of kid are you if you've never heard of hot dogs? They're a camping tradition. You roast them over the fire and eat them in bread with ketchup. The good ones are made of all beef."

They sounded kind of disgusting. "Do they… taste good?"

Peach shrugged. "Well, it's not exactly a gourmet meal. But it tastes just fine, I think." After a second of thought she shrugged. "It might be a personal preference thing. Ludwig doesn't seem to mind them…"

"Hmm…" Raven bit her bottom lip undecidedly. "Well, if he eats them they must be somewhat acceptable." She reasoned.

Peach rolled her eyes and waved for her to follow her. "Come on."

* * *

After thoroughly chewing her first bite of burned hotdog, Raven nodded to herself. It wasn't half as bad as she thought it would be. It was actually kind of nice. "Why haven't I heard of these before?" she asked, covering her food stained teeth as she spoke to Ludwig. He gave her a small smile and just shrugged, chomping down the rest of his own hotdog. She looked back down at her plate. "I just don't get why they're called hotdogs. I mean seriously, they don't even taste like dog."

He froze, staring at her with a horrified expression.

She laughed, shoving him lightly on the shoulder. "I'm just kidding! I would never eat a dog!" he looked thoroughly relieved, but he watched her cautiously as she smirked evilly. "Although I have tried rat before, kind of tough and flavorless…"

He shivered, as if the mere idea made him want to throw up.

"Hey, if we're going to be friends for the remaining near future you might as well know these things now." She reasoned, eating a few BBQ chips and licking the flavorful dust off of her fingers.

"I suppose that is a sensible hypothesis." He looked away a little awkwardly.

She gave him a small shove on the shoulder, smiling apologetically. "Sorry, I forgot you're not like most boys." She finished her hotdog, watching him react to her comment. He didn't seem offended by her description, it actually seemed to intrigue him.

"When you say not like most boys, what precisely do you mean by that statement?" He cocked his head at her curiously, absentmindedly drawing musical notes in the dirt with his stick.

She set her paper plate on the ground, covering it with a little dirt so it wouldn't blow away. "Well, first of all most boys don't use the word precisely or say anything else like you do. _You talk_ _smart_." He looked at her a little confused, but she ignored it. "That's the only way I can say that without talking in circles and confusing myself. You also aren't gross or vulgar, it's kind of nice actually. To impress most guys I've had to change my entire personality around them, but you're… different." Nico had been different. And she hadn't found anyone like him in a long time.

_Why is it every time I see Ludwig I think of Nico?_ She couldn't understand it. Was it because they were the only ones she could ever call friends?

"Well…" he threw his poking stick into the fire. "If different to someone as yourself is a good thing, I am delighted that you feel that way." For a moment they looked at each other, and she felt perfectly content. The moment didn't last long however, as both their attention was drawn to a high pitched scream.

"SPIDER!" Wendy screech, pointing a highly polished claw at a big black dot on Roy's shoulder. The koopa boy retaliated with a shocked yelp, scrambling backward as she hit him with a stick. "Hold still, let me squish it!" she tackled him to the ground, whacking him over and over. The small black spider scurried around to avoid the stick and fighting claws of both children.

Raven's eyes widened when she saw the spider better. It was a small black and green arachnid with long thick legs, and if her memory served her well it was very poisonous. "Roy hold still!" she jumped into action, bolting to his side. She took off her left shoe and pinned the boy down with her knee. By now all eyes were on them. She moved Wendy away and swat the spider away from Roy's neck with the shoe. With her covered foot she stomped it into the ground until it moved no more.

Roy stood up, glaring at the two girls. "You're crazy!" he sputtered in a rage.

Raven just ignored his own ignorance and went back to sit at her log. Bowser laughed a little when Wendy slapped her brother across the face saying how stupid he was, and the rest continued on with their lunch.

* * *

Peach wandered through the staggered tents aimlessly, listening to the faint cries of glee in the distance. It was almost dark enough out to roast marshmallows and the kids were out collecting wood. The smell of the pines mixed with the sound of water was very pleasant to her. She smacked a mosquito that landed on her arm. Now if only the bugs would stop eating her up…

She took off her shoes and threw them next to her tent carelessly. Turning down one of the grassy slopes she climbed up on a large rock to watch the sun set over the lake. It was beautiful and it calmed her down nicely. It had been a long, trying day, full of excitement and trying to avoid all contact with the King in their company.

She sighed deeply, guilt building up within her again. Every time she thought about Bowser she felt a little sad. She had been a little mean to him, and it had been completely uncalled for. More than once that day she had considered apologizing to him for her rash words the other day, but each time an opportunity presented itself she had let it pass by.

"Peach?" it seemed fate was going to give her another chance to redeem herself. "What are you doing out here all alone?" Bowser stopped in his tracks, guiding his next steps to join her by the rock.

She shrugged, not looking at him. "I just thought I'd watch the sunset. It's really pretty…" She saw him glance up at the sky for a second before turning his attention to her again. She could feel his gaze on her back and she shivered when she wondered what he was thinking about.

He seemed to sense her discomfort and sat down on the grass beside the rock casually, turning his gaze fully on the sunset. She saw him moving his hands, wringing them in an awkward, nervous fashion. "Are you having a good time?-with the kids I mean-not, watching the sunset… Or both, I don't know…" he trailed off, his eyes moving anywhere but at her.

She nodded slightly. "Yeah, it's been fun being with you and the Koopalings." She forced herself to include him in that, feeling that it wasn't very princess like to continue to ignore him completely. He was a part of her life whether she liked it or not. "It would be a lot more fun if I wasn't being eaten by bugs though." She slid down the rock to sit beside him. He glanced at her fleetingly, but otherwise didn't move.

"I don't blame them for trying to get a taste of you." He tried to smirk, but it came off as sad. "I bet you're really sweet to them…"

She felt the knot in her stomach come back, and she fiddled with the blades of grass. "Bowser, I owe you an apology…" she said quietly, earning his unwavering surprised attention. "I don't hate you. I hate that you kidnap me all the time, but I don't hate you. I was wrong to say that to you and I'm sorry."

"Ah, don't worry about it." he outwardly shrugged it off, but she could see that it was like a thousand pounds was taken off from his shoulders. "I get that kind of talk a lot."

She gave him a small smile, scooting a little closer to rest her head against his arm. "You shouldn't though. You try to be a good person, even if you are a bad guy…"

* * *

**Just so we're clear, I have never eaten a rat so I do not know what they taste like. I can only guess... Please leave a review, they really do encourage me to write and I'm affraid that is why i have been more focuses on other stories. Send me a PM, if you'd like to ask me something or anything. Just don't let me forget about this again.**


	23. Chapter 23: Fellow Conspirator

**Twenty-three**

Wendy twisted in her sleeping bag restlessly. She hated sleeping on the ground! It was uncomfortable and she just couldn't stop thinking about that spider. She shuddered again and turned onto her side with an annoyed sigh. She loved camping as much as any of the other Koopalings, it was one of the few moments that they had their father's full attention, but it was so hard to fall asleep when there was a large rock poking through the tent floor into your unshelled back.

She grumbled something about the stupid location before finally sitting up. She rubbed her eyes, yawning tiredly. _Maybe if I go for a walk it will tire me out._ She got up and slipped on her shell over her PJ's and unzipped her tent, stepping outside into the moonlit night. It was very peaceful out. The full moon shone brightly against black sky, casting its shadows all around her. She breathed in deeply and quietly tip toed past the ring of tents to the hiking path.

_I'll only be gone a minute, no one will notice I'm gone._ She told herself, finally disappearing into the woods. The stray leaves crunched under her feet as she wandered down the path and she felt the wind brush up against her.

She sighed, feeling the quiet night weigh down on her. She would never admit it to her brothers, and especially not her father, but she was a little afraid of the night. And she was constantly battling with herself to overcome that fear. She just couldn't help but find the shadows and sounds a little creepy. And she always felt like she was being watched.

"What are you doing out?"

The question was light hearted enough, but Raven's sudden appearance did nothing to calm her nerves. She jumped with a tiny yelp, her heart racing. "Don't do that! One of these days you're going to sneak up on someone just like you and get stabbed in the gut!" she snapped at her, feeling her hands shaking.

Raven looked down at the ground from her perch on a tree. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. You startled me actually. I thought you'd be asleep like everyone else."

Wendy took a calming breath, shrugging slightly. "I couldn't sleep, the ground's just too hard."

The girl in black smiled humorously. "I hear you, it's a pain trying to find a nice place where there aren't any rocks poking you in the back." She jumped down to the ground with a soft thump.

"I thought you were some sort of unbelievable ninja that could do anything. Doesn't that mean you can sleep on rocks?" Wendy raised a well trimmed eyebrow at her.

"Assassin, not ninja." She corrected, her tone a little flat. "And I can sleep on rocks, but that doesn't mean I like to. I prefer a mattress like everyone else." She took a small butter knife out of her pocket, and started sharpening a small stick.

Wendy rolled her eyes. "Why do you even need to make weapons? There's nobody out here accept us."

It was her turn to shrug. "I just like being prepared for the worst, you know? I don't like being caught off guard."

"My dad is the scariest thing we'll see out here, I don't think you'll need that." She pointed out, but the girl just shrugged again. They silently walked down the path together, Raven continuously sharpening the stick to look more and more like a stabbing utensil. When Wendy looked at her she could almost see what Ludwig saw in her. She was different then most girls. She was just… different. "So, are there any cute boys where you're from?"

Raven looked a little startled at the sudden question. "What?"

Wendy laughed quietly. "Come on, you're a girl too. You _have_ to notice boys even if you are some hardened nin-I mean, a cold hearted assassin. Is there anyone where you're from that you like?" she looked at her from the corner of her eye, noticing her blush, and she smiled. If Ludwig was insistent on liking the girl she was going to have to pass the Wendy test.

Raven shook her head. "N-not really. I haven't had a crush in years." She murmured almost embarrassingly.

Wendy nodded approvingly to herself. "Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

"N-no." she started to get a suspicious look in her eyes. "Why are you asking me this?"

She shrugged, in mock innocence. "No reason really…"

"Did Peach put you up to this?"

"No…" Wendy savored the frustrated look on her face, and the apparent confusion. "Just curious. Have you ever had to try to kill someone you liked before?"

Raven stopped walking. "Okay, did Ludwig put you up to this?"

_Score._ She smirked, an expression that would make her father proud. "No, I was just wondering if you liked him. And I was right." She laughed.

Raven glared at her, but for some reason it didn't make her feel on edge at all. "Now wait just a minute, I never said that I like him!" she objected.

"I didn't either, I just said that my suspicion was right. And your denial says a lot more then you could imagine. So I think it's safe to assume that you do like him." she kept walking, watching the small look of approval cross Raven's face.

The black haired girl pointed at her. "You… You're good. You'd make a great interrogator."

Wendy waved the comment away with fake modesty. "You're too kind." She giggled lightly. "So, how old are you? I'm not very good at estimating human ages. And if you were like twenty or something that would be kind of weird."

Raven fidgeted a little. "No, I'm not that old yet. I'm turning sixteen next Monday."

Wendy raised an eyebrow. "Sweet Sixteen and never been kissed?"

She nodded. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Interesting…" she mused, already a plot was prying its way into her mind. "Well, goodnight." She said in chipper tone, turning around abruptly to leave Raven to herself again. The girl looked at her strangely, shaking her head as she left.

* * *

Much of the weekend's activities had been entertaining, but Ludwig was ready to go home. He was tired, bug eaten, and was subconsciously scratching notes into everything his claws rested on. He needed to get back to his unfinished piece or it was going to kill him! So naturally he was helping pack to speed up the process.

Upon almost bumping into his sister, he noted that she seemed a little scheming look in her eyes. Whatever it was it couldn't be good. He promptly set down a box he had been carrying onto the Clown Copter and looked at her sternly. "And what sort of ill conceived plot, dear sister, are you conjuring at the present?"

She merely smirked at him, which sent chills of unease through him, and batted her eye lashes innocently. "Oh, nothing of _consequence_, _dear brother_…"

He narrowed his eyes on her when she mimicked his speech mockingly. It irritated him to no end when his siblings made fun of his prestigious way of speaking. He crossed his arms stubbornly. "Well, if it is indeed _nothing_ it would not be of _consequence_ for you to tell me, now would it?" He watched her try to sort out the sentence with a little smirk tugging at his lips.

She sighed, "Fine! It's not nothing, but I can't tell you yet." She finally gave in, half way.

Ludwig shook his head, not satisfied but he dropped it. He knew not to press his sister for information. He picked up his box again and started up the ramp into the Clown Copter. Her clumsier footsteps followed him up and he smiled slightly. Ever since she was little she had followed him everywhere subconsciously when she wasn't occupied with anything. And he knew she wouldn't ever tell him but he had heard that he was her favorite brother.

"Ludwig, how much do you like that Raven girl?"

He set down his box next to the others, turning to face her before he answered. "A good deal I suppose…" he brushed some dirt away from his hands. "Why do you feel compelled to inquire?"

"Oh, no reason…"

He sighed, growing a little tired of her games.

* * *

The cool evening air filled the night by the time they reached the Darklands' territory again. Ludwig sat on a bench with Raven, explaining the differences of major and minor scales in music. She was listening, but it was very apparent that although she could play a little music, she could not read music and had never learned the basics of how to play. He sighed tiredly, and she laughed at his growing frustration.

"It's okay, not everyone was made to be a great musician like you." She patted his arm lightly in a playful manner. "I'll just stick to tinkering around and playing a few tunes that I know and like, and I'll be fine."

He almost cringed at the thought of instruments not being used to their full potential, but then he remembered that it was okay. Raven had a good ear for music but she was right, not everyone was a born musician. He leaned back against the wall, taking in a deep breath. "Well then, I suppose that will be a suitable compromise."

She nodded, with mock agreement. "Of course, it will be absolutely _suitable_, because you have no say in what I do anyways. Ha." She smiled at him, making his heart beat faster. He became so entrapped in her gaze he almost didn't mind that she was making fun of his dialogue. Even then, he realized it didn't bother him as much as when his siblings did it.

For a moment all was quiet, and they simply looked at each other. He felt his hands sweat, which alarmed him slightly, and his mouth went dry. He knew he should say something, he _wanted _to say _something_ but he just couldn't think. It was as if her half smile had erased his ability to express himself. He gulped once. Twice. Now he was just ashamed of himself. How could he be struck speechless?

Raven seemed to notice and she looked down at the wood floor a little sheepishly. "So… What do you have going on tomorrow? I know you probably have a busy schedule to catch up on."

"Well…" he bit down on his tongue, an idea slowly coming to him. He spoke slowly not wanting to screw up. "I was planning on finishing a piece I was working on, but I'd clear that off of my schedule if you would desire to do something." He was new to the whole _flirting _game, but he was sure that wasn't quite right.

She smiled slightly, standing up. "That'd be nice, but I think I'll be fine on my own. Thanks." Her eyes twinkled as she walked away.

Ludwig let pent up breath finally leave his chest as she disappeared down into the lower decks of the flying ship. He let his head bang back against the wall behind him. "Ugh…" the uncharacteristic expression passed his lips before he could think of it, and honestly he could care less. How was he ever going to even hint that he liked her if he couldn't think when she was around?

"What's wrong Ludwig?" He heard Bowser ask from where he stood at the steering wheel.

He looked up at his father, sighing deeply. "I am simply no good at this…_love_ thing."

Bowser nodded in understanding. "You can only do so much to grab a woman's attention Ludwig. Just keep trying, she'll come around sooner or later."

Ludwig banged his head against the wall again. "Ugh…"

* * *

**Okay, I know. This was short, but! I have been writing the next few chapters and I _am_ getting back into the swing of things! I am so sorry this has taken me so long! I was obsessing over my other stories that I was really starting to forget this one. But I haven't! The next chapter will be out as soon as I edit it! :)**

**Please leave a review. :)**


	24. Chapter 24

**I have had enough of these Mary-Sue comments! I understand what you reviewers are trying to tell me but ****_please_****! This is getting rediculous! Raven is not perfect. She is not a 'Self Insert'. And if it really bothers you all that much, just stop reading this story! Stop beating me up about this please! It's discouraging and down right mean. I've heard the Mary-Sue complaint a few times, I don't need to hear it anymore!**

**Sorry people. I'm just sick of it. Honestly it makes me not want to update this story anymore... but, here's the next chapter.**

* * *

**Twenty-four**

Raven lay on her bed staring at the ceiling, giggling. Her stomach hurt and yet she still laughed. She was just so tickled inside! "Ludwig was trying to flirt!" when she said it aloud she wanted to squeal all girlish like, but she merely laughed more hysterically.

She covered her mouth with both hands, trying desperately to stop laughing. Maybe he hadn't been trying to get her attention, maybe it had just been just an honest attempt to- no, she was sure of what he was trying to do. And it was so _adorable_!

She gripped the bed sheets in an attempt to contain her excitement. "Goodness, get over it girl!" she told herself, feeling very stupid. "That was days ago! You shouldn't be this giddy on a Monday!" she rolled her eyes at herself. She felt so weird inside, like butterflies fluttering around inside of her every time she thought of Ludwig. She hadn't seen him since they got back, but she had been thinking about him every moment she wasn't distracted. Was that what love was? Completely losing control of your head? Perhaps…

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, taking a few light strides to the small mirror hanging on the wall just beside the door. She ran her fingertips through her hair, lightly adjusting the part and fixing it so it didn't poke up in thirteen different directions. When she was relatively satisfied, she slipped out into the hallway quietly.

With a sigh she turned down the hall towards Wendy's room. This whole situation with Ludwig was actually making her _want_ to have a girl talk. She wished she could talk to Ludwig directly, but he was at his concert and wouldn't be back until later. She really wanted to just get everything straightened out. She hated playing games in her mind and debating with herself. She liked him. And she wanted to know if he liked her. She just wanted to _know_.

When she came upon the koopa princess's room she knocked crisply against the large wooden door. The sound echoed in the hall that was empty except for a few new guards. At least the increased their security. She mused, returning the dirty look one of the koopa troopers was giving her. She turned back to the door, bouncing on the balls of her feet impatiently. After a second knock she conceded that no one was there and moved on down the hall disappointedly.

"What are you looking at twerp?" she snapped at the koopa as she passed him. "Get back to work and actually look a little menacing! I would have laughed at you if I was trying to infiltrate this hall." She glared at him until he shrunk considerably, then she left with a smirk on her face.

She started down another hall aimlessly, not sure what to do. She looked out each window she passed longingly, wishing that she could go out into the town. Staying indoors in a colorless, empty castle wasn't exactly what she wanted to be doing on her sixteenth birthday but she couldn't do anything about that. Reaching up involuntarily, she scratched lightly at the collar around her neck. She couldn't leave the castle grounds with it on unless someone was with her.

She sighed, shoving her hands into her pants pockets. She caressed the two knives she had acquired in her left pocket, smiling at the contact as a thought seeped its way into her mind. Maybe she could still have some fun at the castle until everyone returned from where they were at…

* * *

"Raven you're crazy!"

She scolded herself, dislodging her silver knife from the wall and pulling herself up far enough to shove it in again a little higher. Her shirt was soaked with sweat and stuck to her body as she climbed slowly up one of the tallest towers on the Darklandian castle. She groaned as her muscles protested to the strain they were being put through, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop! She had to reach the top for respite or fall to her ultimate doom. She was fairly sure she couldn't pull off a fancy landing from over two hundred feet. She could just imagine herself falling with a whistling sound and landing with a 'splat!' on the concrete below.

"Come on!"

She glared at the stone tower, determined not to be beaten by mere stone. She continued her climb through clenched teeth and labored breath. Sweat streamed down her face, leaking into her eyes and dripping off of her chin. She cringed as her ankles started to hurt but made one last effort to reach the top, grabbing onto the ledge of the roof. She pulled herself up and over onto the slanted tiles and sat on top of the tower, out of breath and with bloodied fingers.

She panted, looking over the Darklands from her new found perch. She could see as far as the smog would let her, and when she strained her eyes she could even see where the mushroom kingdom would be. She slipped her knives back into her pockets, rubbing her sore bloody hands on her pants. The climb had given her a work out that she had needed for a while. _I'm getting unconditioned_… she grieved. _If I ever get out of here I'm going to have to go back to the academy to get my edge back…_

She closed her eyes, craning her head back to stretch her neck. "Happy Birthday Raven." She breathed out silently. "Now you'll be sore for weeks…"

* * *

Ludwig traipsed about the halls with no particular direction. He had expected his siblings to be causing tremendous amounts of problems by the time he came home, but as far as he could tell they had left the castle almost the same as when he had left. Suspicious of their late afternoon activities, he had decided to seek them out and find what sort of mischief they were diving into. But so far, he couldn't see snout or tail of any of them.

_They must be consorting together someplace._ He reasoned, clasping his hands behind his back habitually as he walked. It was getting sort of late, well past dinner he assumed by the shadows cast onto the ground. But that of course was the perfect time for a Koopaling scheme to begin to formulate.

He shook his head disapprovingly. He had never been one for the traditional Koopaling pass time, he joined in once in a great long while, but most all the time he steered clear or intervened before his siblings could do something horrific. He supposed he should find them and make sure whatever they were up to was not of foul play…

He stopped a servant in the corridor, waving him over to speak with him. "Pardon me, but by chance have you happened upon any of my kin? I cannot seem to locate them at the present."

The servant looked at him confused for a moment, his mouth moving without speech as he raced to figure out what the prince had said. He stammered ungracefully, fearfully wringing his hands. "I-I'm sorry sire, I-I'm not quite sure-uh- what you mean…"

Ludwig sighed audibly, remembering once again that his form of dialogue was incomprehensible to most of the servants there. "I am searching for my brothers." He repeated himself in a far simpler way.

"O-Oh!" the koopa looked down at the ground, "I-I believe they are in the common room sire. I am terribly sorry I cannot be of more use to you sire." He apologized but Ludwig simply waved it away.

"No, that is of great assistance. Thank-you." He quickened his pace slightly, almost curious as to why his siblings would choose the common room as a place of meeting. It was a very, well, _common _place. They usually conspired in much more secluded surroundings…

* * *

"_Shh! Someone's coming!" _

Ludwig paused outside of the common room, peeking through the crack in the doors into the room. What he saw surprised him, and confused him at the same time. All the Koopalings stood around the room, frozen in place as if the slightest movement would give away their position. The room looked strange to say the least. It looked like something you would see closer to Halloween time. Dark drapes and table cloths decorated the room, along with some interesting looking center pieces.

Ludwig raised an eyebrow confusedly. Were they throwing an early Halloween party? It seemed highly improbable, but there was the evidence right in front of him.

He shook his head and opened the door. All wide eyes that hadn't been on the door before turned to him and everyone visibly relaxed. Wendy rolled her eyes and continued taping up something that looked suspiciously like a skull head. "Dude, don't scare us like that!" she huffed, urging the others to continue whatever it was they were doing.

"Might I inquire what precisely it is you all are up to?" he picked up a picture of a black cat with its fur on end, in a hissing position. "Is there a rationale explanation as to why you have uncovered the Halloween decorations?"

Wendy nodded, "Well duh, when do we ever not have a reason to do something?"

He knew that it was a rhetorical question but even if he did try to answer he knew the list would be too long to utter underneath an hour. He looked around the room, noting a radio and food on a table nearby. "Are you hosting a social gathering?"

She nodded, instructing Roy to put something on the wall where she was pointing. "Remember that thing I said I couldn't tell you until later?" he nodded, motioning for her to continue her statement. "Well, we are throwing Raven a surprise Birthday party."

He looked at them all disbelievingly. "Wait, it's her birthday?" And he was the last to know about it? He shook his head. "How did you acquire that knowledge, and why would you all even care?"

Junior looked up from the paper spider webs he was cutting with a small smile. "I like Raven, she's weird!" he said it as if it was the best complement anyone could ever give.

Roy looked at him, pausing in what he was doing. "Yeah, I guess she's not all that bad. She's actually kind of cool."

Lemmy and Larry shrugged in unison, but only the latter gave an answer. "I don't really like her all that much… but hey, a party's a party right?"

Ludwig still couldn't figure it all out in his head. "Why all the sinister décor?"

Wendy took one of Junior's spider web papers and taped it in the corner. "Raven's kind of creepy sometimes. I thought she might like a party more her style."

He didn't know if he should be surprised, impressed, or defensive. He hardly thought Raven as creepy, a little scary but not in any way sinister. He didn't think the theme was her _style_ but he was known to be wrong about social activities before… "Where is Raven?" the thought occurred to him that he hadn't really seen her since the camping trip, and his failed attempt at flirtation.

Wendy waved away the question as if it didn't matter in the slightest. "She's on top of the North tower, she's been there for hours. But we're almost finished up here, so maybe you could go get her?"

Ludwig couldn't stop the flow of questions in his mind. "She's where?"

* * *

**Next Chapter might take a little longer to put up...**


	25. Sweet Sixteen

** I know its been a _Long_ time since I've updated, _but! _Since I've made you all wait so long, I wrote you an extra long chapter! Yay! :) Sorry it's been taking a while to update, I'm trying to work on book 2 as I work on this one so when I'm finished with this I can just post new chapters in book 2 :) It takes a little longer but i think it will be worth it in the long run. :)**

**Now, without further ado, Chapter 25! :)**

* * *

**Twenty-five**

Watching the sun set in the polluted air of the Darklands from so high up was actually quite beautiful. Raven watched it with rapt attention as the sky turned different shades of green and yellowish-orange. It was definitely strange. She wasn't used to sitting down to watch such things but she did enjoy them.

She sat up a little straighter, making sure not to put any unnecessary pressure on her bleeding hands. They were sore, as well as everywhere else on her body. _Man, I can't believe I am so out of shape…_ she shook her head at herself. _How could it have come to this?_

As the sun dipped below the horizon she wrapped her arms around her. Although the lava flow from the volcano was very warm the drafts from up so high created Goosebumps on her skin. But she stayed there, not wanting to move at all. It was the first time in many years she felt perfectly content on her Birthday of all days. The last time she had felt like this was when her mother was still alive…

She sighed, thinking about her mother. She had been very beautiful, her looks only rivaled by the Princess of the Mushroom kingdom. Of course she had never really cared. _Beauty is only skin deep_, she would always say. And _it's what's on the inside that counts_. Truer words had never been spoken. That was one of the main reasons she tried not to judge people by the way they looked. The way a person acted was the only thing that mattered. It was one of the few things her mother had been able to teach her.

She looked up at the dark sky, wiping a stray tear away from her dirty cheek. She couldn't believe how long ago it was since she had died. It was almost ten years, but it felt like an eternity! She had been so little, she only had a few memories of her left…

"Don't cry… It's just stupid to cry…" she told herself halfheartedly. She missed the days she had spent with her family. When her father hadn't been so harsh and unloving. When her life had felt complete. They had been the most _normal_ years of her life.

She smiled again at the thought of them at a family picnic. They would go to a small forest near the river and lay out a checkered red blanket to sit on over the tall grasses. Her mother would pull food out of their wicker basket and if the King wasn't busy with work he would teach Raven how to start a fire. Remembering the time he accidentally burned his own work papers made her laugh. They had been fun times.

_I wish I had my old dad back_… In many ways, the Koopa family reminded her of what her family used to be like. Bowser was a good father, and he always tried to find time to spend with his children. They were all so close to each other, and whether they'd admit it or not, they loved each other very much.

Finally, she couldn't hold the dam anymore and it broke, letting her tears spill down her face. It was at that time that she heard a door open in the room underneath her, the creaking sound alerting her to someone's presence. But she couldn't keep her cries back any longer, she just needed to get it out of her system. So, ignoring her instincts to shut up and hide from whoever it was, she buried her face in her hands and sobbed loudly. She missed her mother, and she missed the way her father used to be. It just wasn't fair…

She scooted up the slanted roof so she couldn't be seen by anyone leaning out of the window. Her salty tears burned her bloody hands, and she realized that by wiping them away blood was smearing onto her face. She must have looked like a mess! She screamed at no one in particular, craning her face up to the sky. The stars sparkled brightly, uncaring of her pain, indifferent to her suffering. "I Hate You!" she screamed at a certain star that was supposed to watch over her. It flickered unresponsively, ignoring her as it always had. "Why do you let me suffer so?!"

"R-Raven?"

"Go away!" she yelled, burying her face in her hands again. She could feel her blood and tears streaming down her neck to soak her shirt but didn't care. She couldn't afford to care about anything in her life. She noted the person's silence, but she didn't hear him leave. Instead, she heard a few things being moved and the flicker of a flame coming to life.

She crept down the roof slowly, peaking through the window into the orange lit room. After a short mental debate she bent over to grip the edge of the roof and swung into the room. She was surprised when her feet touched the floor and she crumpled to the ground, falling onto her side with a loud _thud_. She grimaced and remained where she was for a second to collect herself. Her distress coupled with her long climb had numbed her legs and offset her balance.

"Raven, are you alright?" she felt steadier hands help her to her feet, but when she nearly collapsed again they lead her to the chair next to the fireplace. She shivered, realizing just how cold she was. Ludwig looked at her, concern filling his eyes.

She nodded, looking down at the floor. "I'm fine." She sniffed, rubbing tears away from her cheek. The sight of red blood all over her face must have frightened him more. He sat down next to her and reached out tentatively to touch her face. His warm claws brushed over her cheek carefully, tracing the read streaks on her face.

"What befell you?"

She pushed his hand aside gently, sighing shakily. "Nothing, it's just my hands." She turned them palm up to the light, exposing the broken blisters and cuts to the air. She hissed when he took them in his own to examine them. "I just pushed myself to far is all." She wiped the last of her tears from her eyes, glad that he wasn't asking about that.

"You should in the least bandage them." He tried to reason with her.

She nodded, but didn't move. The warmth of the fire on her back and the softness of his touch made her want to stay where she was and close her tired eyes. Witch she did. For a moment there was only the crackling of the fire he had lit and his hands holding hers. He didn't let go, or say a word. It seemed he was just as inclined to enjoy the silence as she was. She sighed again, opening her eyes slowly and raising them to meet his. They were filled with concern, yet still a calm peace resided in their depths.

"Come." He beckoned to her and helped her to her feet. "Let us get you washed up." He helped support her as they walked down the long winding staircase and down the halls to find a sink.

* * *

After washing up, changing her clothes and bandaging her hands, Raven walked a little more comfortably with Ludwig down the halls. The muscles in her arms, legs, and back all hurt terribly but she was able to put on a grin and bear it. They talked quietly about this and that, mostly about the concert Ludwig had just come home from. She found it kind of funny how he fired a musician for disagreeing with his instructions during a performance, but he seemed horrified, like the whole performance had been ruined because of it.

The whole walk however she could only think about how they had held hands earlier. Her fingers itched, and not because they were wrapped up in bloody bandages. She wanted to reach out and hold his hand again, and had to continuously tell herself mentally not to. They were friends, just friends. And _just friends _didn't hold hands like that…

Raven sighed, rolling her shoulders backwards to relieve them of some pain. "Where are we going?" the way he walked spoke volumes she was pretty sure he wasn't aware of. He walked briskly, with a definite sense of direction.

He stiffened slightly, his eyes darting from her to the floor and then up to the ceiling. "I-I don't think I'm supposed to tell you." He said vaguely, shrugging his shoulders. He started messing with the slightly uncharacteristic spiked wristbands on his wrists, avoiding all eye contact with her.

She arched an eyebrow at his nervous behavior, but decided not to worry about it. She was sure that he of all people would have his reasons. He didn't strike her as a person to do things on a whim. "Well, can you tell me why your tail is twitching irritably?" She bumped his shoulder playfully with her own, smiling. "You need to relax a little." She was feeling a lot better now, having almost completely forgotten about her breakdown out on the roof. She was determined to have a good time while she was with him.

He visibly forced his tail to stop moving around. "I do despise that. You humans should consider yourselves lucky you do not have a device that betrays yourself so." He smiled slightly and bumped her back. "And I do not require relaxation."

She gaped at him, shocked that he would actually retaliate with his own playful gestures. But she laughed happily. "Well, forgive me for caring about your mental health!" she grinned, letting herself brush her fingertips over the back of his hand as they walked. His tail twitched again, but he didn't otherwise react.

"Ah, here we are." He stopped them in front of a large oak door, his nervousness returning. He reached out to open the heavy door and stepped aside to let her in.

She nearly jumped out of her skin as an ear piercing scream reached her. Her first reaction was to unsheathe her butter knife and duck behind a piece of furniture, but she felt Ludwig's hand clamp around her arm and she stopped to look around the room. With a calming breath she realized it was just the Koopalings. She smiled, quietly slipping the knife back into her pocket before anyone could see it and looked at them all confusedly. "What's going on?" she looked around the room, seeing all sorts of dark drapes and table clothes, and numerous amounts of paper spider webs. "Did someone die?"

Wendy laughed, rolling her eyes. "No, it's a party!" she pulled her away from Ludwig and pointed up at a sign, written with bold creepy letters 'Happy Birthday!'

Raven stared at the message, feeling all eyes on her. She didn't know what to think, and her heart seemed stuck in her throat. She swallowed once to clear it, and when she still couldn't speak she swallowed again. "You-you guys did this…for me?" she felt overwhelmed with different emotions. She was surprised Wendy had even remembered. "I don't know what to say… thanks…"

Roy nodded carelessly from the corner. "Party Time!" he turned on a big boom box and started dancing with some of his brothers.

Raven laughed, stepping back to grab Ludwig before he could leave. She leaned into him to whisper so only he could hear her. "Did you know about this?" She watched him carefully, noting a small look of guilt pass through his eyes.

"I was the last to find out." He admitted, looking down at the floor for a moment. "I just happened upon them as they were setting up. Honestly I don't suppose I would have ever found out it was your birthday otherwise. My siblings are constantly finding grounds to throw get-togethers, I wouldn't have thought twice about it." He gave her a small smile as he took her hand in his and kissed it. "Happy Birthday Raven."

She was surprised to see him start leaving and skipped to catch up with him. "Where are you going? Aren't you staying?"

He shook his head. "I'm afraid I am not one for obnoxious music and strobe lights like my siblings. And I have never been one for parties. So, as to not ruin the fun I will wish you good night." He turned away again to leave but she stepped in front of him, biting her lip undecidedly. "Is something troubling you?"

She nodded, wringing her bandaged hand. "It's just-I haven't been to an actual party since I was five… I just, I don't want to be alone here." When he looked like he was about to object to the logic of her statement she clarified. "Your siblings are nice, but I'm not sure what to do around them. I'm just-" she took a calming breath, forcing herself to say what she really meant. "-I feel more at ease when you're around… And I wish you'd stay."

Ludwig held his hands behind his back, his tail twitching in uncertainty. He looked conflicted.

"I mean-I don't, never mind-" she backpedaled, waving her hand in dismissal to the conversation. She wouldn't ask him to stay if he didn't want to. She looked around the room for a place to sit, as far away from the radio as possible. Just when she found a spot, she heard Ludwig speak up from beside the door.

"Hey, Raven?" He gave her a tentative smile, coming up beside her. "Come with me, I-I have an idea." He took her by the hand and led her through the room full of his siblings to doors that lead outside onto a balcony. Outside was a little quieter and the scenery was a little less creepy, which she enjoyed much more. "Wait here, I'll be back momentarily."

The wind blowing past whipped her hair up into her face, but she just brushed it away and brought it back into the ponytail. She stole a glance behind her to peek into the room, but she didn't see where he had gone. She shrugged tiredly to herself and bent forward to lean against the handrail. She felt so strange inside. Again tears were brought to her eyes at the thought of how caring the Koopa family was. She hadn't had the slightest notion of what they had planned. It didn't even cross her mind! The thought that they cared about her enough to do something like this made her smile, despite the tears streaming down her face.

"Here…" a warm drink was set down on the rail beside her and she saw him pull up a chair from the corner for her to sit.

"Thanks." She quickly wiped to tears away from her face before he could question her and sat down with the drink. It warmed her hands through the bandages helping the pain, and when she took a sip the warmth spread through her, helping her tired muscles to relax. "It's good." He raised his own cup in a silent toast before he drank as well.

After a silent pause, he tapped his fingers against the porcelain mug thoughtfully as if he was searching for something to say. "You know, I feel rather badly that I was the last to find out about this. I would have liked to take you some place special if I had known sooner." Raven just shrugged carelessly. "But, if there is anything you would like just let me know."

She shook her head. "I'm fine, I'm just glad you're here." She set her drink on her knee and looked over the landscape below them. This side of the castle had a sheer drop into the lava moat. It was pretty, but it didn't make her feel very comfortable to be standing on a balcony over it. If she was going to die of some horrible accident, she at least wanted her body to be able to be found and buried.

She could feel his eyes on her and looked back up, trying to wipe her thoughts about dying out of her mind. Ludwig shifted uncomfortably, tapping his cup again. She noticed he had odd habits when he was nervous, and even times where he didn't realize he was still there, like he phased out when he felt overwhelmed. She had noticed it first when they were fighting together in their lessons but it seemed to be showing a lot more now, and in a more personal setting. He seemed… scared. Scared that he would say something that would upset her.

"No really, I insist." He leaned against the handrail, trying to look casual. "I would like to do something for you. There must be something of interest to you. Something you desire that I can give to you…"

Raven bit her lip, feeling butterflies start forming in her stomach. Honestly, she did want something. Ever since she was little she had always dreamed of having her first kiss on her sweet sixteen. It was silly and stupid, but the wish had stuck with her for years. And if she did get her wish, she wanted it to be with him. She was tired of wondering about _them_, if he liked her or not. She set her drink aside and shook her head slightly. She couldn't ask him.

"What is it?" He urged her to speak, stepping forward to stand beside her.

She shook her head again. "It's nothing. Just a stupid wish a little girl made a long time ago…" she stood up, turning her back to him and looking over the Darklands again. She felt his hand on her shoulder and shuddered slightly.

"Enlighten me."

She sighed, biting her tongue to keep herself in check, but it didn't work. "It's just… When I was little I always wanted to have my first kiss on my sixteenth birthday. It's a silly, ridiculous, childish-" she stopped her self-insulting when his fingers stroked the crook of her neck and jaw, guiding her to meet his gaze. She felt herself stop breathing as he looked at her, tracing his claw over her more dominant features.

Ludwig trailed his hand to the base of her ponytail and slipped his fingers into her hair. She felt time stop when he pulled her closer. He looked her in the eyes for a second, pausing only a moment in uncertainty before leaning in to grace her lips with his own. It was short and hesitant, but sweet. But it wasn't nearly long enough. Before he could slip away from her she slipped her arms around his neck and brought them together again, kissing him back. She heard him gasp in surprise and smiled against his lips happily.

Her happiness didn't last however. She broke the kiss, looking up at a balcony above them. They were being watched, by someone only familiar to her. She looked back at Ludwig, feeling torn. "Ludwig, I-I'm sorry-I have to go." She pulled away from him and took the knives from her pocket. "We'll talk later, I promise!"

* * *

When Raven had finally caught up to the shadow covered figure she was three floors above where she had been, and two balconies over. When she glanced down over the edge she could see clearly that Ludwig had gone, and strangely she noticed that the tea cups had broken and spilled onto the floor…

"Well, well, well… If it isn't Raven…" The man spoke up from the shadows, drawing her attention back to him. "My old apprentice."

Raven nodded respectfully to him, bowing her head slightly. "Master Kane, why are you here? I was told this was a solo mission."

Kane stepped out into the light, his dark clothes matching the style of hers, and the lamplight making the silver in his black hair glitter. "Don't play games with me girl, I have been observing you. I know what is going on." He walked past her to the edge of the balcony to look down where she had been before. "You have developed feelings for your target. You have not even tried to return home. And you don't seem to care that everyone thinks that you are deceased."

She couldn't bring herself to look at him, feeling a deep sense of shame and dishonor to her master. But he didn't look upon her disappointedly, merely with sternness.

"Your father sent me to find you and talk some sense into you. He knows that you are alive and that you weren't coming back. I'll admit I had my doubts until I saw exactly what was going on." He rested a hand on her shoulder, turning her face up to meet his gaze with the other hand. "But I am still confused, what made you falter?"

Raven felt her breath catch, suddenly the shock collar around her neck felt agonizingly tight. "I-I don't think my father had any reason to attack these people, master. I admit my personal feelings have blinded my judgment in this matter but I know one thing: these are not bad people."

Kane actually smiled slightly, tapping her chin lightly as a sign for her to 'buck up' as he had always put it. "I know young one. I have seen this and I agree. But, I still answer to your father and I will do as I am ordered to."

Raven's heart sunk, yet beat faster at the same time. "You can't kill him!" she felt tears start to form in her eyes and she covered her open mouth with her bandaged hands. "You can't!"

The older man smiled sadly down at her, grasping her shoulder tightly. "I am glad to say that is no longer the mission. Your dear friend is safe. But, there is a new target and a new plan. I do not know exactly what, but I know that the new target is in no way a part of the Koopa family." She took a shaky sigh and nodded, calming herself. "I must leave to report to your father. What would you like me to say?"

Raven looked up at him, feeling torn. "Tell him… tell him I'm dead. I don't want to ever go back."

Kane nodded to her respectfully. "So be it." he jumped onto the ledge of the balcony, looking down at the lava filled trench. Turning back to her he looked at her gravely. "Keep on your guard Raven. If I am ordered to strike I will. Just stay safe." With that he fell backwards over the edge. She could hear his grappling hooks shoot out as he fell and smiled slightly. He was always one to make an impressive exit.

* * *

**Please leave a Review, they are very nice to read and it's encouraging. Next Chapter will be a little about Bowser! Can't wait to write it. :)**


	26. Chapter 26

** Twenty-six**

Bowser wrung his hands uncertainly as he walked down the hall. He was conflicted. His head was telling him that what he was doing would only end up in heartache, but his heart was urging him on, telling him he had nothing to be afraid of. The worst Peach could say was no… Right?

He sighed tiredly, running his claws through his thick red mane of hair. The Koopalings were throwing some sort of party and he was pretty sure no one was going to show up for dinner. He didn't like the idea of eating alone and so had the idea to invite Peach down, again. He had asked her the same thing on many occasions but it all ended up the same way. She would refuse, lock herself in the bathroom, threaten to jump out the window… But he had hope that maybe this time she would say yes. It wasn't even like a date, it was just dinner down by the kitchen… That wasn't a date…

He stopped in front of her bedroom door, looking at it with dread. The last time he had ventured into her room she had ended up screaming that she hated him. She _had_ apologized for it, but it still made him nervous to say the least. What if she said something like that again? He knew he deserved half of the things she said but it still hurt.

He raised his hand to knock but paused at the sound of sniffling. His bushy eyebrows knit down in a V and he pressed his ear to the door to hear the sound better. And sure enough, he heard the Princess within crying. He coughed to clear his throat, unsure what to do. What could be wrong? "Princess, are you alright?" When no answer came he nudged the door open.

Princess Peach sat against the headboard of her pink covered bed, blankets piled up all around her with a box of tissues at her side. Her eyes were red and puffy and her cheeks were stained with her glittering tears. She didn't seem to notice him come in and just continued to cry, her eyes fixed on something across the room.

Bowser looked at the TV mounted on the wall and raised an eyebrow at the shy-guy movie playing. It was one of those sappy chick-flicks Wendy was always talking about. "Umm, perhaps this is a bad time." If he knew only one thing about girls and chick-flicks it was that they made them very moody.

Peach whipped around to face him, her hair disheveled and tangled, and her eyes wide in shock. "Bowser! What-" She covered up her teary eyes, quickly wiping the salty tears away. "-what are you doing here?"

He shook himself, looking up at the ceiling to distract him from her in her silk Pj's as she jumped out of bed, running to fix her hair. She was a little strange that way, always wanting herself to look perfect even if it was just him around. In the mirror she must have seen him in the reflection trying not to look at her, she squeaked in embarrassment and dashed into the bathroom and slammed the door.

"What do you want?" she asked through the door, and he heard several things being opened up inside.

"I uh-" He cleared his throat once again, leaning against the wall to steady himself. Why was it so hard to say? It shouldn't have been this hard… "The-well, the Koopalings are all down at some party they're throwing, and I'm pretty sure they won't be coming up for dinner tonight…" he listened for her to say something, but everything had gone quiet where she was. "Anyways, I was kind of wondering… Well, ah…" He bit his lip determinedly, drawing some blood accidentally. "I was, I mean-If you'd like to-" He shook his head, burying his face in his hand.

He stood there silently, slowly collecting himself and preparing what he wanted to say. "Look." He forced himself to stand up straight, coming closer to the door so he was sure she could hear. "Bottom line: I don't like eating alone. And I was wondering if you would join me for dinner tonight. If you don't want to, I understand. But hey, I asked nicely, so sue me…"

Silence.

Bowser shifted uncomfortably, feeling uneasy. "Are you even in there?"

"I'm here…" she sighed audibly through the door and he heard her feet brush against the tile floor within. "Bowser, I don't know if…" she trailed off and he could sense her discomfort with his proposal.

He swallowed hard, trying to force down the lump in his throat. "You don't have to come!" he assured her. "I'm not going to force you to, but I just thought that maybe since you don't like being alone up here and I don't like being alone down there…Well, maybe we could be alone, together…" he mentally slapped himself, thinking of how stupidly crazy suggestive that sounded, but he heard her laugh quietly. "So, will you come?"

She cracked the door open just far enough for him to see her beautifully pristine sapphire eye and half of her smile. "Get out..." she ordered, but her voice wasn't harsh or mean at all.

"What?"

"Get out. If I'm going to go have dinner with you I have to get dressed first!" She shooed him with one hand sticking out from behind the door. "I'll only be a minute."

One minute of course had turned into nearly fifteen before she finally emerged from her room. She had changed from her Pj's into a loose dress, which was much more modest and fitting of her, and brushed her hair so that it wasn't frizzy anymore. Her eyes were still red from crying, but her small unsure smile nearly hid it completely.

Peach shut the door behind her quietly as she entered the hall. "Hey…"

Bowser tried not to stare at her, suddenly finding the floor very interesting. He found that the mere sight of her with so much skin showing was almost unbearable! The dress' skirt was knee length and the sleeves only hid the tops of her shoulders, like a tank-top. It was a perfectly modest summer dress, but the sight of her in it still made his heart beat like a drum in his chest. "Hey…"

She shuffled in her white sandals awkwardly, and he shook himself. He was still her host, he should act like it.

He coughed to clear his throat, offering his arm out to her politely with a small smile. "Shall we go?" Chills were sent down his spine when her ungloved hands wrapped around his forearm lightly. She looked a little out of her comfort zone, but was trying to make the best of things by not causing a fuss, which he was grateful for.

She nodded, her smile turning almost genuine. "Yes let's."

* * *

Peach chewed her food slowly, for once actually trying to enjoy the food and the company she was in. She laughed quietly to herself and stabbed a mushroom on her plate. She hadn't noticed before, but Bowser talked a lot when he was nervous. Through the time it took her to eat almost all of her meal, he had only stopped talking to take two bites of his food and a few sips of his water.

He was telling her about the Koopalings, and it seemed that they would be the topic of the night. She guessed that he knew they were the only things that wouldn't upset her that he could talk about. He steered clear of any stories connected to Mario or her kidnappings and she actually liked listening to him talk. _When did he get such a nice voice?_ She smiled dreamily, and then caught herself. She shook the feeling off and scolded herself. _All because he has a smoldering deep voice doesn't mean he's any different than he was before. But then again, I might just be noticing things like that about him now because I'm not spending so much time hating him…_

"Peach?"

She turned to look at him again, realizing she had stopped listening to him. "Huh?"

He laughed quietly, looking embarrassed. "I asked you if you'd like to go see the rose gardens. But I guess you look a little tired, perhaps I should take you to your room-"

"N-no!" she quickly stood up and brushed crumbs off of her skirt. "We can go see the gardens, I wouldn't mind." She fumbled, unsure of anything she said. Bowser looked up at her, a look of confusion in his eyes, like he couldn't believe what she was doing. But he didn't argue. He smiled and stood up with her.

* * *

Bowser couldn't help the fluttering of his heart. Peach was _with_ him, walking close _beside_ him, _talking_ with him. He kept telling himself that it didn't mean anything to her, but he couldn't help treasuring every minute of their time together. Being friendly with each other felt right. With every smile, every laugh, he felt the void in his soul being replaced with something not so desolate. She was giving him hope, he admitted it was probably false hope, but it was hope all the same. Perhaps he wasn't such a monster in her eyes. Maybe someday, in the future they could be together.

He looked down at her, trying to pay attention to what she was saying about the gardens of the Mushroom kingdom. Honestly, he didn't care much for gardens at all, but he knew she would be able to appreciate them. He was actually surprised to find out that she didn't like roses. She had so many rose bushes at her place, but she just didn't like them like most girls did. _Strange_… He smirked, remembering that Ludwig had found out the same about that Raven girl.

Bowser stopped, some uneasy sensation making his tail twitch. He turned around, looking around the dimly lit garden to a large tree in the center. The leaves rustled in the wind, but he was sure he had heard something snap, like someone had misjudged the durability of a branch and it had fallen to the ground.

"Bowser?" Peach walked back to him when she finally realized he had stopped.

He raised a hand, indicating for her to be silent. He scrutinized the tree carefully, looking for anything out of the ordinary about it, but it looked just fine. After a third look over the tree, he reluctantly turned away from it. Peach looked at him questioningly and he tried to shrug it off. "Ah, it was probably nothing. This whole assassin thing has me on edge. It's probably just the shadows playing tricks on me." The mushroom Princess smiled and they continued on down the garden path. But although she seemed appeased with his excuse, he couldn't stop the twitching of his tail…

* * *

Kane breathed a silent breath of relief as the two royals rounded a corner, and he dropped to the ground by the tree. That had been way too close. "Just goes to show you." He adjusted his sleeve and took off over the garden wall. "Nobody's perfect."

* * *

**So, a little shorter than the last one but there you go. Thank you to lilEminem for inspiring me to update quickly. Trust me, asking me to update really does push me to write this instead of my other stories. :) Thank-you all for reading. Happy Thanksgiving. And good-night. :)**

**Please Review :)**


	27. Chapter 27: Love Me? Hate Me?

** Twenty-seven**

It was a whole forty-eight hours of torture. Ludwig hadn't seen or heard anything from Raven for a whole two days! Had he done something wrong? Was she upset with him? Did she hate him?

The oldest Koopaling brushed his notes aside and slumped forward to bang his head on the piano keys. Normally he abolished the thought of abusing his instruments, but at the present moment he temporarily didn't care. The appalling sound of the keys rang and reverberated around him, making his ears ache. But the sound somehow fit how he felt inside, jumbled up and a symbol of monstrosity.

He groaned in annoyance, closing his eyes tightly as the sound of the piano faded. His insides felt all knotted up. He had a fluttering feeling inside his stomach and his head felt light and clouded. "What is the matter with me?" he sat up slowly, shaking his head. He felt absolutely awful. "What have my actions wrought upon us? I was too sudden with her. I should never have done something so atrocious! I was not in the right to just kiss her without authorization…" He trailed off, kneeling down to pick up his sheet music and place it back on the piano.

He set down crumpled the papers slightly, glaring at the ceiling. "But the moment was so opportune!" he growled to himself, hitting his forehead with the palm of his hand repetitively. "What is wrong with me?" He tangled his fingers in his messy blue hair and hung his head in humiliation. _What if I scared her away? What if she never wants to see me ever again?_

He whimpered sadly to himself, leaning against the wall and sliding down to sit on the floor. He buried his face in his hands and sighed shakily. He tried to keep his breathing steady and his emotions in check so not to go spiraling down in an episode, but that didn't keep his eyes from watering.

"I am such a disrespectful, cowardly, _ignoramus_!" he let his hand bang against the wall. "And I'm so confused…"

* * *

Raven closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before striking again. She swung at the punching bag fiercely to relieve her frustrations and clear her mind. Her master had come and gone and no one had seen! _Even after tripling security the Darklands couldn't protect this castle!_ She twisted around and jabbed the bag, growling angrily. She had spoken about it to Bowser and he seemed oddly unnerved. And to top it all off, Ludwig hadn't once sought her out to talk about what had happened between them.

Releasing her war cry, she side kicked the bag. The resulting sound was loud, but she wasn't near strong enough to do the bag any permanent damage.

She looked down at the floor, breathing hard. She knew she should be more upset about the security of the Koopa family, but she couldn't help feeling more troubled about her situation with Ludwig. At first she thought he had been busy, but after two days, thirteen hours, forty-two minutes and some odd seconds, she had come to the conclusion that he was avoiding her.

Reaching out a gloved fist, she steadied the punching bag. She hated waiting and wondering. Was he ever going to come see her again? Was he making second guesses about her?

Raven screamed and struck out against the bag again. Her clothes were soaked with sweat, and her hair stuck to her face and shoulders. Her lungs and body burned with the extensive training she was doing to distract her, but it still wasn't enough to make her forget him for the slightest moment.

She bounced on her feet, trying to remain loose as she sparred with her inanimate partner. Kicks and jabs were thrown with great precision, but after a while of tormented emotions and thoughts she slipped up.

"Crud!" She stumbled backwards, cradling her hand gingerly. She leaned against the wall with a grimace and undid the gloves to free her hands. Feeling around her wrist she was glad to find out it was only a sprain, but was all the more upset by the injury. She was becoming too careless._ What would master Kane say?!_ She spat onto the ground in disgust at herself, but slumped to sit on the floor tiredly. _He'd say what he did the last time I got like this_… she reasoned. Closing her eyes, she let her head thump against the wall.

She had been sitting in a corner crying for hours after Nico had died. Her best friend gone. Forever. She had expected her master to be angry with her, but he had been very kind. He didn't lie and say that she shouldn't be sad about his death. He had knelt down beside her and comforted her, telling her that it was better to let emotions out then to bottle them up inside. And as soon as you came to accept something, the quicker you were to move on. He had told her she couldn't change what had happened, but she could focus on the things in the future that she could influence. _"Don't dwell on the past Raven, but remember it. Remember it to help you make better choices in the future."_

Raven sighed, repeating his words in a quiet whisper. Perhaps what had happened with her and Ludwig had been a mistake. Perhaps it had been too forward. If it was, she knew now what she had done wrong and could learn from it. "Nobody's perfect…" she muttered, picking herself up carefully so not to hurt her wrist.

She looked down at her hands and hissed, seeing blood seeping through her bandages. "Shoot…" she clenched her fists together in frustration, but took a calming breath. _No problem. I just have to get them changed and find a brace for my wrist. No biggy. I can handle that on my own._ She took off in the direction of the castle hospital, grabbing her water bottle as she left.

* * *

After adjusting her brace one more time, Raven thanked the doctor and headed back for her room. After her match with the punching bag she felt tired, sore and extremely stinky. All in all, she felt ready for a long shower. She couldn't wrap her mind around anything. She couldn't focus on what to do, or anything else. So she figured a shower to calm her down was definitely in order… along with a ton of body wash and shampoo.

Being distracted by her musings she didn't see Ludwig as he walked past her, but he stopped in his tracks and turned around to catch up with her.

"Raven-" he grabbed her wrist and she instinctively went to punch him in the face, but he caught her fist before she could do any damage to him. His eyes went wide, and so did hers. Both were shocked at each other's reactions and the mere sight of each other. "Ah…" the prince released her and looked around anxiously. "I-I've been searching for you for hours…"

She stared at him blankly for a moment, her mouth hanging open slightly. "You-you have?" She felt her heart skip a few beats in happiness. _And here I thought he was trying to avoid me! He was looking for me… _Her smile faded slightly. _Why was he looking for me? Does he regret that we kissed?_ She fidgeted uncomfortably, waiting for him to say something.

"L-look, you must understand that I don't want you to feel like what happened- I mean-" He stuttered, looking anywhere but at her. Her shoulders drooped sadly, realizing that he did regret what happened. "It's just- if you don't have the same outlook as I do on what transpired between us, I understand. But you should recognize that I-I really like you. I don't suppose that-" He continued to stammer on about something, but she didn't hear any of it. He liked her… _He_ said it. He really liked her.

"Ludwig." She smiled, reaching forward to touch his shoulder, but he continued to ramble on like he didn't feel her. "_Ludwig_." She put more emphasis on his name, trying to gain his attention. _Can't he hear me?_ She shook her head, rolling her eyes at his behavior. "_Ludwig!_" she shook him slightly, making him pause. When he stopped talking she stepped forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. It was quick and she backed away even quicker, very much aware that she still smelled of dirty gym socks.

"I do feel the same. And I don't regret anything that happened. And if you like me the way I really hope you do, you shouldn't feel regretfully either." She smiled at him, feeling as if a hundred pound weight had been lifted from her shoulders. For a moment his gaze was unsure, but then he smiled at her.

"You are fond of me in return?"

"Of course…" she squeaked in slight alarm when he pulled her into a tight hug. He was stronger than he looked, but she didn't feel uncomfortable at all. He held onto her tightly enough that she could feel his heart beat, and softly enough that she felt-oddly enough-almost safe and protected. But she squirmed, feeling a little self-conscious. "Ludwig…I'm all sweaty…" she tried to pry away, but he didn't let go. Instead, he kissed her.

He looked her in the eyes, his own filled with joy and relief. "I do not care." He caressed her face with a claw cautiously, mindful of her easily damaged skin, and he pecked her lips again.

Raven closed her eyes for a moment to take it all in. Leaning into his touch as he traced the scars he had inflicted on her, she gave a quiet sigh of content. She hadn't felt this level of caring in so long, it made her heart flutter happily. She leaned against him tiredly, glad to have someone there for her after so much emotional turmoil. She imagined that he probably felt the same way. "I'm sorry I left so quickly…" she mumbled quietly. "I had to leave-"

Ludwig shushed her quickly, tilting her face up by her chin. "I do not require an explanation. I have come to accept that you have a motive behind every action you partake in."

She smiled, almost teasingly. "You bet I do…"

They stood in the hallway ignoring the servants as they passed by, simply enjoying being close to one another. Raven felt herself relax, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders to return his gesture. She felt him shift slightly and looked at him quizzically. He looked a little shy, but excited at the same time.

"I _really_ like you Raven." He sounded like he was trying to convince her. But he didn't have to convince her! She already knew…

"I _really_ like you too…" she smiled, leaning forward slightly.

"Oh Please! _Get a room_…"

Raven jumped, and they both stumbled away from each other in surprise. Roy stood nearby, leaning against the wall picking things out of his teeth carelessly. Raven merely rolled her eyes at him, but Ludwig looked offended. He began to scold Roy for being snoopy and indecent, and Raven laughed quietly.

Her black hair flipped as she turned around quickly and headed the way she had originally been going. _Shower… Need. A. Shower. _She figured Ludwig was smart enough to know why she left that time…

* * *

**To those of you who read this, I will be without uploading method for a little while. Sorry. That's just what happens when you move across the United States. Believe me, I will update as soon as I can when I have internet again. Please Leave a Review :)**


	28. Chapter 28:Bad Mother?

**Twenty-eight**

Bowser looked at the message again, reading it over for what felt like the hundredth time and still he couldn't believe it. Mario had survived and was out of the hospital. "How is it possible?" he growled, slamming his fist down on the computer desk. He had been crushed. Burned. Possibly even maimed. How could he have survived?! It wouldn't have been the first time the plumber had done the impossible before however. No matter what was laid before the man he found was to overcome every obstacle, including being on death's doorstep it appeared.

"He's on the move…" he spoke quietly to himself, covering his face with both his hands with a sigh. He dreaded telling Peach. She would be all happy and excited to leave. The mere thought of that made his stomach twist in irritation. The princess had been having a good time at the castle this time, and he didn't want it to end…

But he knew it had to eventually. He had to tell her what was going on. And as much as he didn't want to, he had to tell her soon. "In the morning…" he told himself, making up his mind. Maybe after a good night's sleep he would be able to tell Peach to pack her things so they could leave to one of his other castles… without his voice cracking at least…

Looking out of the window he could see the sun setting, slowly turning the smog a shade of green and orange. His heart thumped sadly in his chest as he watched it, wondering what would happen when things were said and done. Would things go back to the way they had always been? Would the Princess of the Mushroom kingdom continue to hate him after everything? Or had they made any connection that would help them to get along in the future? Everything was a mystery…

* * *

"Mama Peach?" she could hear Junior's small timid voice speak out to her from the darkness of her room. At first she thought she was still dreaming, until she felt him shake her shoulder with a shaking hand. "Mama Peach, are you awake?" he asked, sounding frightened.

Peach opened her eyes partially, looking at the boy. "I am now sweetie." She smiled tiredly, pushing the blankets off of her and sitting up. "What's wrong sweetheart? Shouldn't you be in bed?" before she could even stretch properly she felt the little koopa clamber into her bed and snuggle up with her. She was surprised but she didn't push him away.

"I had a nightmare…" he whimpered, burying his face against her stomach.

Peach sighed and held the boy more comfortably. Out of all the koopalings, Junior was by far the one she was most attached to. He looked up to her like a real mother, and in her heart she knew that he really felt that she was his mother. And if she admitted it, if only to herself, she felt a motherly attachment to him. She had watched him grow from a baby and she loved him like she would if he was her son… if he was an orphan she would have adopted him in a heartbeat, but she didn't want to think of what would happen to cause that scenario.

Although she and Bowser were not on very friendly terms with each other on most days she knew that if something ever happened to him she would do anything and everything in her power to make sure his children were not abandoned. Even if it meant being scorned by her people she would take care of them…

"What was your nightmare about Junior?" she ran her fingers through his feathery red hair, so much like his father's…

Junior wiped at his eyes and sniffed. "I dreamed Mario came and took you away from us… And-and he hurt daddy…" he clung to her with fear, as if his dreams were coming to life even as he told them. "Why is Mario so mean? Why does he take you away Mama?"

The Toadstool Princess didn't know what to say to that. How could I tell him that it's really his father who is taking me away and not the other way around? It was crush him! She sighed, picking him up in her arms. "Mario is my friend Junior. He just wants to make sure I'm safe." She tried to say something neutral that would not inflict poor words on either party.

Junior looked up into her eyes, confusion riddling his gaze. "But-but you're _here_. With _us_. With _King Dad!_ You're safe here with him. Why can't you tell Mario to just leave us alone?" his sad turned hopeful gaze was almost unbearable. "You love us and King Dad, right? Tell Mario you want to stay with us!"

Peach shook her head sadly, "I wish I could Junior, but I have things to do. People would miss me if I was gone too long."

"They can come see you here!" he objected happily, like it was the most obvious solution in the world. "And you can stay with us like Mamas are supposed to…"

Peach's heart froze. Mamas are supposed to stay with their families… "Junior…" she couldn't stay. She already had a family. In the Mushroom Kingdom… the Koopa family wasn't hers. "Junior, I can't stay. I just can't…"

"But-but why?"

* * *

Bowser jumped in surprise at the knock at his door. At such an unholy hour of the night, whoever it was their business had better have been important. He was already falling asleep at his desk with paperwork and preparations, he wasn't in the mood to deal with foolishness.

"Bowser?"

He froze on his way to answer the door. Her voice reverberated around his quiet room and he felt his heart rate quicken. Why would she be-

"Bowser please, if you're in there open the door!"

He didn't hesitate to throw the door open, alarmed by the panicked pain in her voice. And the sight that befell him was simply dreadful. Peach was in tears, her eyes reddening and her cheeks stained. She was holding Junior in her arms, who was also crying. She looked up at him pleadingly, in desperation and she carried the boy into his room before he could say anything.

"Bowser please, tell him-tell him why I can't stay! I can't do it, I just can't!" she cried, her voice cracking in anguish. "Mothers are supposed to stay with their children…I-I just can't-I'm not-"

"Peach…" he hushed her, trying to get her to calm down. He took Junior from her carefully and guided her to a chair for her to sit down. "It's okay…" he rubbed her back soothingly for a moment before leaving for a minute to let Junior into his bed.

Junior practically jumped from his arms into his father's large bed. "King daddy, why is Mama crying? Why doesn't she want to stay with us?"

"Junior…" he bit his lip in thought, pulling up the blankets for Junior to crawl under. "She can't stay forever. She is a princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. They need her there as much as we want her to stay here with us."

"But doesn't she love us?"

Suddenly Bowser realized just why Peach had been upset. His son was asking a lot of hard questions to answer. And he could only imagine what he had told Peach… But, even though his heart started hurting, he nodded with a smile to his son. "Of course she loves you Junior, she loves you very much…" he tried his best to keep his own feelings out of that statement. Of course the young boy hadn't noticed that he had said you and not us. He wouldn't lie to him. When he got older if his situation with Peach didn't change he would eventually have to tell him the whole truth. But now was not the time.

"Did you have another nightmare Junior?"

Junior nodded, his eyes growing scared.

"About Mario?" another nod. Bowser sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. "Well, why don't you go back to sleep, and I'm going to talk to Peach okay? And if that plumber doesn't leave you alone you just punch him in his big fat nose."

"Yeah! In his big fat nose!" Junior punched the air a few times with a smile before curling up in a ball and closing his eyes. "G'night daddy…"

"'Night Junior…" he ruffled the boy's red hair affectionately and then turned back to Peach, who seemed frozen in place like a statue. Her face was buried in both her delicate hands and her golden hair fell disheveled about her shoulders. She was still sobbing, and with each pained sound her shoulders shook. Bowser knelt down beside her and moved a lock of her hair behind her ear so he could see her partially covered face. "Peach?"

Her arms wrapping around him wasn't the reaction he thought he would get, but as she cried into his shoulder he wasn't about to protest. He held her gently and hushed her, stroking her hair in an attempt to calm her. "Peachy its okay… tell me what's wrong. Why are you-?"

"B-Bowser…" she hiccupped as she poured out her soul. "Y-you are such a good parent. Your children adore you. You're-you're always there for them. And-and-" her voice became shrill. "-I'm such a bad mother!" Needless to say, his eyes went wide. _Peach has a kid? When did that happen?!_ For a moment he was lost in his own horror… "J-Junior wants me to stay, but I can't-I'm not a good mother… I'm a horrible mother!"

"Peach, you're not-" he started, but she cut him off.

"And what'll happen when I'm gone? It'll crush him if I never come back! And if you keep your promise I may never see him again! What am I going to do?" She cried.

"Quiet…" he pulled her away slightly so he could look into her large sapphire eyes. "Calm down sweetheart…" he held her tear stained face between his hands, wiping the wet away from her flushed cheeks. "I promised never to kidnap you again, not that you wouldn't see any of us again. If you want you can always come visit…and you can take Junior with you to your home. He's always wanted to see your kingdom…" he sighed a little shakily, desperately thinking of anything that could reassure her. "And it's not like you will forget about us…" he gestured around the room. "This castle will be here for many years to come, and we will be here if you ever need us. That is a promise I intend to keep to my last dying breath."

The two of them were trapped in silence as she finally stopped crying. When she finally found her tongue again it was as sharp as ever. "Bowser… in all the years that I've known you, I've only ever wanted to forget about you." It felt like a blade had pierced into his chest, but her next words stopped it from cutting open his heart. "But it seems I have no choice in the matter. The Stars have spoken against me, and it seems-It seems that despite my wishes, your family has become mine… and they always will be."

Despite the tears burning in his eyes Bowser smiled, genuinely. "Then it seems the Stars have been in my favor all along. Because that is all I've ever asked of them…" before he could stop himself, the words seemed to pour from his mouth on their own accord. "I love you Peach."

Peach gave him a mournful glare. "You bastard." Her arms reached around his shoulders and she hugged him tightly. "Hold me." She pleaded, closing her moist eyes.

"I'll never let you go."

* * *

**Phew! So sorry that took so long! You can all thank lilEminem for this update. If it wasn't for lE I would never have finished this. Sorry to keep those of you reading this story waiting so long. You are all awesome! :) **

**Anyways, next chapter will hopefully be up soon. I will try to work on it some in the morning. But right now-I. Am. Pooped. Thanks for reading, and please leave a review! They encourage me more than you could ever know!(unless you are also a writer, if you are I guess you do understand). :) Goodnight!**


	29. Chapter 29: Mario

** Twenty-nine**

"Mario you are being a complete idiot!" Daisy ran to catch up with him, Luigi not far behind. "You should be in the hospital! For goodness' sake, you look paler than a piece of paper!" She grabbed ahold of his arm and tugged him back, nearly making him lose hold of one of his crutches. He swatted her hand away carefully and just plunged forward into the forest path again.

"Peach is-a in trouble! I have to save-a her!" he objected, trying to keep out of her reach.

Daisy scowled. She might have been a princess, but he was going to have to work a lot harder to get away from her. She ran track in a skirt for Peat's sake! "I'm sure she's fine, you however are not!" she snatched the back of his shirt, dragging him to a stop so Luigi could catch up. Honestly she didn't know what he was so worried about. Bowser never hurt Peach, he never had and she was sure he never would. But the plumber just refused to accept it because he thought the King Koopa was a monster. Sure, he was a bit of a monster on the outside, but he wasn't all that bad…

"I have-a to go, who-a knows what Bowser has done to her?"

"No."

They both turned at the sound of their green companion. Daisy noticed that his face even looked green. Maybe they mushrooms they ate didn't settle with him well?

"Mario, I am putting my-a foot down." He said sternly, crossing his arms. "We have been-a runnin' and-a chasin' for three days without a break! We need to stop. You need to stop." His voice was a little on edge, and even Daisy couldn't say she had seen him that frustrated before. He was actually kind of more handsome when he took charge…

She shook herself quickly, standing beside her boyfriend to back him up. "Exactly! Now either you stop willingly, or I will personally drag your sorry behind to the nearest hotel so you can rest. It's your choice." She mirrored Luigi's stance and crossed her arms over her chest, glancing to her side to see him blush slightly. He was so cute like that!

Mario frowned stubbornly. "Peach could be in-a real danger, and you want-a me to stop?" he shook his head. "No, I can't-a stop until I find her."

Daisy sighed, looking at him disappointedly. "Fine, you leave me no choice." Taking a deep breath, she looked the red clad plumber straight in the eyes. "Remember that thing you did that you made me swear not to tell Luigi about?" said green plumber turned to look at her like he was seeing a complete stranger, but she cut off his question. Mario looked at her in confusion, and then it turned to horrified realization. "Yeah, that's the thing. If you don't come with us peacefully, I'll tell him." She threatened, almost savoring the look on his face.

"N-no! You-you can't-a do that!" Mario begged, but to no avail.

Daisy turned to the other brother, looking almost sad but still proud of herself. "Mario killed your cat."

"What?!"

"No! You don't understand! It was an accident!" Mario started moving backwards away from his furious brother.

"_You killed Fluffy_?!"

"Give in Mario, I have plenty more." Daisy smirked, having fun revealing such blackmail finally. "Also, remember the time when we were younger and at one of those huge parties? Mario was the one who dyed your mustache blonde."

Now Luigi was livid. "That took weeks to grow out again! How could you betray me like that?" He jumped forward to snatch his brother, making Daisy laugh as the chased around the path, Mario staying in front by just a few inches by running in pure terror. "I'm going to get you! I don't care if you're recovering from a spat with Bowser! I'm going to take your hat and throw it into a tree! And I'm not going to get it down for you!"

Mario yelped in surprise as he tripped over his crutches, sending both him and his brother sprawled onto the ground. They both lay in a dazed heap, with Luigi on the bottom and Mario's crutches somewhere between them. Daisy laughed at the sight and not so quickly went to assist them. She pulled Mario off of her favorite plumber and helped the other up.

"Now, come with us to a hotel so you can rest, or I'll be forced to tell Luigi what you did to him during Spring break of-"

"Alright, alright! I'll go!" Mario conceded frantically.

Luigi looked at her curiously. "What happened during Spring break? I don't remember a thing."

Daisy rolled her eyes with a smile, patting him on the shoulder lightly. "Believe me, you want it to stay that way."

* * *

"So what else has-a Mario kept from me?"

Daisy smiled mischievously at the green clad plumber. "Oh, a lot of other things. But I need to keep them secret just in case I need to use blackmail on him again." She twisted the bag of pain meds in her hand and reached out to open the hotel door but he beat her to it. "Oh thanks, weeji." She gave him a sly wink and his cheeks blushed bright red.

They entered the building together cheerfully, riding the elevator back up to their room where Mario was supposed to be waiting for them. He had argued considerably against staying the night but given a few threats he had agreed. They left him lying on one of the beds, peacefully glaring at a spot on the ceiling that looked suspiciously like Bowser's face. But that's not where they found him.

"Hey Mario, we're back-What the heck are you doing?!" Daisy gaped at him, frozen to the floor at the sight of him wobbling across the room without his crutches.

He looked up at them with a smile. "Hey guys!"

Daisy pressed the palm of her hands to her face as Luigi went to tackle his brother. This was never going to work. Mario was being so stupid. She sighed, tossing the pain meds onto the table near the television. _Oh well, what can you do? Love makes men do crazy things…_

* * *

**So Sorry this was so extremely short and not very exciting. I did my best with it. I promise the next chapter will be a whole lot better, (With Raven and Ludwig! :) Thanks lilEminem for keeping at me until I updated. I will have a more satisfactory chapter out soon guys! **

**Please Review :)**


	30. Chapter 30: change is good

** Thirty**

Ludwig paused in his work, looking over the notes critically and playing them over again in his head. He criticized them more than any of his other works. Lately he had noticed that his music was flowing in different patterns than his normal style. The notes were upbeat and almost bouncy. It was strangely new and foreign to him but despite the style change he actually liked the way it sounded. He just couldn't figure out why he liked it.

Quickly scribbling down a note he looked over the page again and placed his claws back on the piano keys. He started playing again, only halfheartedly. He played slowly, almost tinkering (Which normally he shuddered at the mere thought). Notes seemed to play themselves as he let his hands wander while he thought. _What could conceivably be influencing my subconscious?_ He stopped playing, looking down at the black and white keys distractedly. "It is most undoubtedly one of my more jovial works…" he mused, scrutinizing the notes once again.

"Knock-knock?"

He felt his heart race at the sound of her voice. Suddenly he felt a little self-conscious at the mess of papers around him. Although he was tidy and clean in nature, he tended to not realize what a mess things became when he was working on his music.

"Mind if I come in?" Raven pushed the door open quietly, peeking in the room.

Ludwig nodded, "Yes." She gave him a shrug as she turned to leave and he mentally slapped himself. "No, I mean-" he grabbed his blue hair in both hands and pulled on it harshly. "Ugh, that's not what I intended to express to you. I meant: yes I would like you to come in. I didn't desire for you to leave…" he tripped over his words nervously and finally stopped talking so he wouldn't make even more of a fool of himself. Turning away he let his head hang in his hands with a groan. "I am such an idiot."

Raven laughed at his antics, coming closer to sit beside him. "No you're not. You just lack regular social interaction." She ran a finger over one of the black keys on the piano. Ludwig gulped silently, trying to clear his throat. "And you might just be a bit on the shy side…" He quickly averted his gaze and she giggled, nudging his shoulder. "I'm just kidding you." She winked.

"Heh…" he wrung his hands nervously. "Yeah…" He felt like his head was spinning and his stomach about to erupt. "S-s-so…" he coughed, running a claw over his throat. "Was there some objective to achieve coming here? Not that I don't enjoy your company-I just, don't wish to' beat around the bush' so to speak…"

She bit her lip and sighed. "Well, okay I guess…" She turned her whole body around to sit facing the opposite direction of him. "I kind of wanted to talk to you about this whole relationship thing… now that the awkwardness is out of the way, I just want to kind of…you know.." she ran a hand through her hair with a nervous noise.

Ludwig tried to smile reassuringly. "Yes, now that this awkwardness is 'out of the way' we can talk, for this conversation is not at all awkward in nature either." He breathed a little more easy when she laughed. "Come now, just express what you feel need to."

She clapped her hands on her thighs, nodding firmly. "Okay. Just get it over with right?" she blew a stray lock of hair out of her face, only to have it fall back on her nose. She glared at it in annoyance and he smiled, moving it out of the way for her. "I just want to know how you see this whole relationship working out."

"Hmm…" he bit his tongue, not sure how to respond. "Would you explain further?"

She shuffled, playing with a loose thread on her pants pocket. She was very nervous. "I mean, what exactly are you expecting…from me?"

Ludwig felt his stomach drop. "Oh…" his eyes widened slightly at the thought. "I s-see…" he cleared his throat, pulling at the spiked collar around his neck. Although the piece was normally comfortable to wear, despite its appearance, it now felt like a noose. What was he to say? His mind went blank. _When did breathing become so difficult? _He could already feel himself start shaking. _No…no-no.. I can't have an episode now. Not now… _His eyes glued to the floor in an attempt to steady his flow of thoughts.

"Ludwig?"

He twitched, looking up at her again with a nervous smile. "I apologize. I-I have not thought much upon the matter…"

Her touch on his shoulder made him jump up in surprise, and she looked at him concernedly. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, running a hand through his feathery hair again. "Yes, I am quite alright." He paced in front of her, grasping for anything he could possibly say. Finally he stopped, dead in his tracks. Turning to face her again he forced himself to look her in the eye. "I think perhaps…we should not change a thing."

She raised an eyebrow at him, scratching at the bandages on her palms unconsciously. "What do you mean?"

He nodded, deciding that he finally had a conclusion. "I do not believe our relationship should change in the slightest. What is a romantic attachment but a wonderful friendship? I propose we should continue as if nothing has happened at all."

Now Raven looked almost upset. "Okay, either I heard that way wrong or you're already breaking up with me." She crossed her arms, watching him critically.

"What? N-no! No, that is not what I meant. I assure you I am not attempting to push you away." He sat back down beside her, taking one of her bandaged hands in between both of his own. "I merely meant to suggest that we not look at this as a potential physical relationship as much as creating a foundation for us to build upon by just continuing the way we are." He repeated the sentence in his head, trying to see if it even made sense to him. It was a bit of a mouthful. "In short, I think we should continue in the path that we have been traveling and simply stay within the parameters of a growing friendship."

Raven sighed, shaking her head. "Ludwig, as much as I love your smart talk, I need this in English please." She gave him a smile, but he could see the nerve-racking anxiety behind her eyes.

He took a deep breath, finally feeling in control of himself again. He moved closer to her, caressing her cheek softly with a claw. "We should build our friendship up and not do anything that we might later regret. I believe in modern social terms it would be referred to 'taking it slow'."

"So, no kissing?" she gave him sly smile.

"If that is something you will regret, than yes. I will not kiss you if that is what you wish." He nearly grimaced. Personally he did secretly enjoy that contact, but it was something he was willing to give up for something greater in the long run.

Raven laughed quietly, as if she sensed that thought running through his head. "I won't ever regret kissing you if you don't give me a reason to." She reached up and played idly with a lock of his hair. "Did you brush your teeth after breakfast?" she questioned and he nodded, not quite sure what she wanted to know that for. "Good." She leaned forward and sealed their lips with a kiss, allowing it to linger for a good fraction of a minute before pulling away. "Thanks Ludwig, I really needed to hear that coming from you. I just needed the reassurance."

His cheeks heated in embarrassment and he looked down at his hands. "Y-you're welcome…" he mumbled, feeling his heart rate quicken in his chest.

"So…" Raven picked up a few sheets of his music from the piano and looked over them with fleeting interest. "I heard your birthday is coming up soon. Who would have thought it would be just a week and a half away from mine." She smiled, setting the paper aside again. "Are you doing anything special? Something maybe I could help with?"

"No." He answered quickly. "I do not partake in celebrating my birth. I have not in years."

"What?" she drew out the word a little, looking at him disbelievingly. "Why not?"

He shrugged, trying to look neutral but he could feel his nervousness arising again. The true reason why was personal. It was something that even his father didn't truly understand. "It is… complicated, Raven. I just do not wish to talk of it."

He could see her eyes soften sympathetically, as if she understood exactly, but the curiosity was still there. "I've heard rumors floating around. If it's what I think it is, Ludwig-" she shook her head at him, making her hair fall back in her face. He smiled slightly at that, it was very cute the way her hair acted. "-it's not good to keep those kinds of emotions trapped inside of you."

He gave a short huff of a laugh. "I am quite certain that it is not as you suspect, Raven." He pinched the bridge of his snout, closing his eyes tightly.

"So, it's not anything to do with your mom?"

Ludwig sighed slowly, not sure how to feel about the current conversation. He could tell she only wanted to help, but he wasn't used to sharing his most hidden secrets. "No… despite what the population assumes my seclusion has no connection to my late mother's death… At least, not on this particular date in question." He went silent, waiting for her to say something but she remained quiet as well. "Forgive me, but I am not accustomed to sharing this information. I suppose of everyone in my life, I should tell you."

She shook her head. "No, it's okay Ludwig. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

He shook his head firmly. "No, I shall tell you. I have been holding my superstition in too long." He took her hand and stood up with her following him. Together they walked out onto the balcony. She automatically leaned against the railing and he stood awkwardly in front of her. Clasping his hands behind his shell, he chuckled nervously. "Well, ever since I can recall a memory, something unsettling happens to myself or someone close to me every year. And it seems to happen nearly every year, on my date of birth."

"Like what exactly?"

"You already know of my mother. Along with that, my brothers have been injured and I once fell into a pit and was stuck there for two hours, forty-two minutes, and seventeen seconds…" He watched as her hands covered her mouth, but not in time to hide the huge grin that crossed her face.

"Oh my goodness! That's horrible!" She couldn't contain her laughter though.

Ludwig sighed, rolling his eyes. "Yes, let's all make fun of the traumatized koopa." She continued to laugh, making his scales prickle in uncertainty. Was she laughing at him or at his predicament? "In conclusion, I spend my birthdays unaccompanied."

Raven shook her head, standing up. "Well, not this year buster." She flashed him a smile. "I'm not going to let you stay cooped up all alone. It isn't healthy." She clasped his shoulder tightly, a look of complete control in her eyes. It almost made him feel small, the way she had such control over him. "Either you come out, or I'm coming to visit. It's your choice."

"What if I were to escape your detection?" he challenged, rising to meet her on her own level. "What would you plan to do then?"

She smirked. "There's no place you could go where I couldn't find you. I'd hunt you down."

It was his turn to look amused. "Is that so certain? I have been raised here my entire childhood. There are many passageways that only a koopa could discover."

She stepped closer , invading his personal space to wrap her arms around his neck. She gave him a conquering look. "Then I'll find one of your brothers and make them show me how to find you." He opened his mouth to make another come back, but stopped when he realized that he couldn't think of anything else. Raven's smirk widened into a smile and she kissed his nose. "Face it Ludwig, I got you beat…"

"Indeed…" he muttered. "I will consider your proposal." He conceded, feeling the harsh sting of defeat. He froze as she hugged him tightly, almost not registering her words of farewell until she was out of the door again.

He stared around his empty music room, mouth ajar slightly in astonishment. _What in the heavens just happened? _He looked down at his hands. He was shaking terribly, but he didn't feel nervous. His heart was thumping hard and his head felt light, almost dizzy. Turning in confusion back to his music sheets, he picked them up. Why did he feel so…giddy? He felt bubbly inside, and when he thought of the next section of notes to write they were upbeat and happy. _What is wrong with me?_

He glanced over his shoulder at where Raven had disappeared and smiled. He knew exactly what was wrong with him. Setting aside his music, he started cleaning up the paper mess around him, humming a small tune as he went along. The only reason his change in spirits could happen was quite obvious to him now. He was in love.

He shrugged to himself. "Perhaps I shall emerge from my seclusion this year…If only to make her happy."

* * *

**Okay, I promised you all a longer chapter and there it is. :) hope you all liked it. Please-please-please-please review. I am officially begging for this story's sake. Please Review! :)**


	31. Chapter 31: Time for fun and corsets

**You know… It's both exciting and depressing to be able to see the end of your story. This book is almost over. But the story is just beginning. I already have a few chapters in the making for the second book in this series. And I am outlining even more now. **

**Well, anyways. I hope you like this chapter better than the last one. Just some sibling bonding and embarrassing moments for Raven ahead. :) **

** Thirty-one**

"_Come-on_, Ludwig!" He heard his sister jibe at him from somewhere across the room, and the rest of his siblings quickly followed suite. He was supposed to be at breakfast, but found himself in the middle of a game devised by his brothers that involved a blindfold and foods that he had no clue what they were. He didn't like it one bit.

"This is senseless." He shook his head and reached up to remove the cloth from his eyes, but he felt Raven quickly put her hands over his to stop him.

"Come on Ludwig, they spent all morning setting this up. At least give it a try." She chided, securing the blindfold again. He growled in irritation and jumped as her hand smacked the top of his head. "Just hurry up and try it you dope." Several of the Koopalings laughed at the name, but he didn't find it amusing at all. He wasn't stupid. He had the highest IQ of all his siblings.

"Fine." He reached out until he felt a fork and grasped it in his hand. "At least inform me what it appears like." He felt Raven take his wrist and guide it over the table to what he could only assume was the first item.

She cleared her throat like an announcer and spoke out in a voice unnaturally masculine for her, making the other Koopalings laugh. "Choice one looks like someone ran over a pile of brains." She moved to another item as Junior snickered. "Next we have what looks like a rolled up kitchen sponge. And then my personal favorite, lastly we have what looks like what a bird would feed its young."

Ludwig cringed as he thought over his options. He knew she had to have been messing with him, but it still sounded really gross. He wasn't sure which thing was safer to trust. "Please tell me I have a beverage to wash whatever this is down."

Raven pushed something closer to his other hand. It was a large cold glass from what he could tell. "Yeah, but it kind of looks like mud."

"Ugh…" he shook his head, finally making a decision. "You are all relishing this moment too much." He decided to go for the sponge-like thing. He poked it with the fork in uncertainty before cutting a chunk off and tasting it. He could almost see everyone watching him expectantly, and he certainly hoped they weren't expecting him to like what he tasted. "_Gaw, yuck_!" he heard his siblings erupt in laughter as he quickly drank whatever it was they had provided, it sort of tasted like chocolate.

"Aww, you don't like Twinkies?" Raven pouted mockingly next to him. "Well, I guess that's why they went out of business."

"A what? _Elch_-" he drank more to wash away the taste of preservatives and cheap cream filling. "Whatever that was, I'd rather eat liver." He quickly removed his blindfold now that the game was over and was sorely disappointed in his decision. "You mean to say that an omelet looks like chick food to you?" he looked up at Raven in disbelief.

She shook her head. "No, I just didn't want you to pick it." She smirked, sitting down in the chair next to him. Despite himself, he found himself chuckling as he shook his head. Although the day had started out humiliating him, he was glad to have listened to Raven and joined his family in whatever they wanted to do. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen his brothers and sister so happy around him. He supposed it was good that Raven was pulling him out of his comfort zone. He was participating in more bonding activities with his siblings since she had come into his life. And he liked the change.

"Has anyone gone over the day's schedule yet?" He inquired, watching as some servants cleared away the disaster of a game and plated the table for breakfast.

Raven shrugged, sipping from a tall glass of water. "Eh, I'm technically not invited so they haven't talked with me about it. But I think Iggy has the schedule, you could ask him."

"Wait, you're not invited?" He raised an eyebrow at her. He was confused until he saw the slight teasing gleam in her eyes, and then he smiled with an understanding nod. "Oh, I see. What careless man am I to have forgotten so easily?" He played along, feigning guilt. When he first met her she hadn't been so playful, but now that they had gotten to know each other better her inner child had started coming forth. He wasn't sure how to respond at first, but he was getting better. "Raven," he watched her focus attention on the ceiling for a moment before turning to meet his gaze again, "would you like to accompany me to a celebratory ball tonight? It would be my honor to have you by my side."

"Well…" she played with a lock of her hair in fake thought. "If you put it like that, I guess I have to go, don't I?" she smiled and leaned forward to lightly peck his cheek. "Of course I'll go with you. But I have to go, so I'll catch up with you later okay?" She arose without his consent, not waiting for him to respond.

"Uh, o-okay, I suppose?" he watched her leave, slightly confused. He turned to Wendy, who had undoubtedly been listening the entire time. "What just happened there?"

His sister rolled her eyes. "Duh! You just asked her to go to a ball. She has to find something to wear." She shook her head and dug into her pancakes.

Roy laughed in agreement. "How did you ever get her to be your girlfriend in the first place? Even I knew what she was doing."

Ludwig shrugged in response to his brother. "I do not know exactly how I was able to win her over, but I still have a girlfriend and you do not. Obviously the fact that I didn't know what she was thinking isn't as important as it seems." He smirked as Roy scowled in defeat.

* * *

Raven walked briskly, almost at a run down the hall towards where she was supposed to be. Of course she was supposed to go to the ball whether or not Ludwig asked her, she just wanted him to be the one to ask her to go and not be just some part of his schedule. But she was late for a dress fitting which she had been dreading for the last few days. Since she was a girl she had been informed that she had to wear one of those accursed ball gowns that she hated so much. She didn't want to, but it was apparently a thing princesses were supposed to do.

She rolled her eyes at the thought. Sure, she was a princess. But she might have well been a princess of crime lords. She wasn't raised to wear dresses and be polite. She was raised to be an experienced killer. But even before that she never wore the traditional garb of royalty. Her mother always let her wear pants.

So naturally, she was going to hate every moment she had to wear that stupid frilly thing.

"Raven, you're late!"

"I know, I'm sorry I just-" she tried to explain, but the dress lady was already dragging her in through the door.

"There is so much to do and I still have to help the Mushroom Princess prepare for the ball. I don't need some prisoner getting in the way of my plans." The koopa clapped her hands and two Boo assistance appeared to help her. "Now hurry up and undress. Such shameful clothes for a young lady, black is such an ugly color."

Raven glared daggers at the koopa as she insulted her, trying to dress down as quickly as she possibly could to avoid more pointless blabber from her. When she was down to nothing but her underclothes she waited for further instruction. But when the koopa turned to her she looked unsatisfied.

"I believe I said _undress_."

"I am undressed!" She objected, crossing her arms over her body to hide her exposed belly and collarbone. She shrieked as the two Boos came up behind her and started unbuckling the back of her black bra. "Hey! Hands off!" she snapped, dodging them and running to the other side of the dressing room.

"Look girl, we have been trained to dress even the most stubborn of subjects. We can do this the hard way or the easy way." The koopa woman said, tapping her foot impatiently. "You need to take off the bra so we can get the corset on."

"_Corset_?!"

The koopa sighed in frustration. "Yes, now get busy!"

Raven gulped, her eyes darting around for any escape possible but the only option was to climb out the window practically naked, and she didn't fancy that. So before she knew it her hands were braced against the wall as the dressers yanked on the strings to strangle all life out of her. She grimaced as they asked her to suck in again. "I don't think I can suck in any further!" she gasped as they pulled again. "Ow!"

After that ordeal they began putting on the actual dress. The first thing she noticed was that it had about a bazillion layers and it weighed about thirty pounds at least. And, it was pink. "Is all this really necessary?" she squeaked with what little breath she had left.

"Of course. You look pretty now. Just as a girl should." She snipped back, moving on to the next things.

"I look like a pink tornado." She growled, trying to walk in the high heeled shoes she was wearing. "An ugly and clumsy pink tornado."

"Well, that's not my fault dearie."

If she wasn't seeing little black dots at the moment Raven would have sworn she'd seen the koopa smirk at her. "I've just decided I hate you." She growled.

"Hate isn't very lady-like." She chirped, her voice riddled with fake politeness over a deeper sensation of dislike.

"Well, I don't know if someone like you could notice, but I'm not a very lady-like girl." She leaned against the wall on an outstretched hand to steady herself. She didn't know what was going to kill her first, the corset or the hoopskirt. If it came down to a fight, unlikely but possible, she couldn't maneuver and she couldn't even hide a knife in her dress.

"Well, I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand that I have orders to turn you into a lady in the next six hours. And let me tell you, I have a lot of work to do. So do us both a favor and shut up." That would have ended the conversation if Raven hadn't been so stubborn.

"I thought if anyone was to turn me into a lady they would at least be feminine." She smirked, finally making the koopa tick. A round of curses was sent her way but she ignored them all, just happy to have finally gotten through to her. She was tired of all the fake politeness and contained dislike. She hated when people were forcefully fake with her.

After another grueling four hours of hair styling, make up, and lessons in proper manners and how to waltz, she was finally released to go to her room. She had been put through hell, had hardly anything to eat, and she was just about ready to fall asleep. But it was only two o'clock. She had three hours before she was to be fetched for the ball.

"Ugh..." she slumped into a sitting position on her bed. "I am going to die…"

* * *

"Ah, Kane. I have been expecting your return. What has my daughter been up to?" the king looked up from his papers, just glancing at the master assassin before going back to his work.

"Master, I'm afraid, Raven is dead."

The man froze, dropping his pen in shocked silence. He felt a slight stab of pain in his chest, and he couldn't breathe. _Dead?_ He had never imagined that it could ever happen. She was so precise with what she did. Could it be that she wanted to die because he had been talking about betrothing her? He knew she didn't like the idea, but he had never even thought that she would do such a thing…

He cleared his throat and looked up at Kane again. "That is most unfortunate." He said steadily, keeping all grief out of his voice. He heaved a slight sigh to steady himself as he stood up and crossed the room to the man in the corner. "Then the job has fallen to you my friend."

"You said earlier that you had a new target, sir. Who exactly did you have in mind other than the Darklandian heir? Surely you don't think myself or my best students could best Bowser himself?" he crossed his arms across his chest, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

The king waved the idea away. "No, of course not." He moved to take a book from his shelf. "I have consulted with our leader and he has told me that the goal here is to make the King of the Darklands unstable. If he becomes irrational he will make mistakes, mistakes that can help us take him down. And I have a plan that will lead him here to fight things out on our playing field."

"Please, do tell."

"We are going to kidnap Princess Peach."

* * *

**Please Review! I'll have the next chapter out soon, hopefully :)**


	32. Chapter 32: Get me out of here!

**Hey! Look who's back in less than a month! ;)**

**Embarrassing moments and awkwardness galore ahead! :) you have been warned! ;)**

** Thirty-two**

Raven let a loud noise of anguish pass her lips when she heard a knock at her door. She was just about baking in her own skin, she was so hot. The dress was so tight and she couldn't find anything to cut it. She had only managed to tear the hoop out with a long tiresome struggle. She had soaked herself in sweat in mere minutes, and after a few hours she was sure she was going to get heat stroke. So she decided to turn on the cold water in the bathroom tub and just drench herself and the dress. It may have been a horrible idea, but she didn't care. She was just too hot to not do anything, and she hadn't thought to go find someone to help her take off the dress until she was already soaked in the water.

The knock came again and she felt just about ready to cry. She was so miserable! How could Peach stand wearing dresses like this all the time? It felt like something you would wear in the winter up in the snowy mountains! Somehow she was sure that the koopa dresser hadn't been assigned to make her wear this particular dress. Wearing it in the volcanic heated rooms was suicide…

"Raven?"

She groaned at the sound of Ludwig's voice. How was she going to explain this to him? She was soaking wet and definitely in no shape to be going with him to any sort of function. Maybe she'd just tell him to go without her.

"Raven, are you alright?"

She felt like screaming, but with the corset on she just couldn't. So, she resorted to speaking as loud as she could muster, which sounded like a strangled gasp. "Oh I'm fine, if you count just about ready to drown myself as fine!" she gasped, letting her head hit the rim of the tub.

"What?!"

She muttered a curse to herself and strained to sit up in the tub. "Just get in here _and help me get this damn dress off!_" She heard the door open and sighed in a small amount of relief when she saw him enter the room. "I'm in here." She called, waving to him weakly. His face turned a bright shade of red and she rolled her eyes. "Just help me." She said as firmly as she could. Her head was starting to swim with black dots again.

"What…transpired to cause this?" Ludwig looked over the scene in complete shock. And no wonder, she was probably quite a mess.

"That darn dresser woman put this shag-rug on me and I can't get it off!" she rubbed her forehead tiredly, wiping the sweat away. "I can't think straight and I think I might be getting heat exhaustion..."

"Well, that is an obvious fact." Ludwig bent down over her and helped her out of the water. She nearly stumbled as she walked out onto the tile floor. The soaked dress weighed a ton with the added water weight. "This is a winter dress. And one you should not have dawned here of all places."

"I knew it. Remind me to poison that stupid koopa when the night is over." She stumbled over to the sink counter and propped herself against it, feeling weak. "Can you get me out of this?"

He was biting his lip hard, and she could see blood starting to flow from the cut. "P-perhaps I should call a maid to help-"

"Ludwig." She gasped for breath, looking at him very seriously. "I have been in this dress for hours. I have taken courses that have trained me to hold my breath for a very long time, but none of them trained me how to breathe in a corset. Please, get me out of this thing before I die!" she begged frantically, already starting to swoon again.

He caught her before she could fall to the floor in a heap of pink cloth, and he guided her out into the room. "Alright, you seem in need of immediate respite. I suppose I have no option in the matter." He steadied her gently with one hand in front of her stomach as his other traveled to the back of her neck. He moved some of her wet hair out of the way and started unlacing the first layer.

"Oh Ludwig, please hurry!" she was feeling faint. She just couldn't breathe!

"Okay, just hold still." She felt his hand reach up again, this time his claws dug into the fabric and she felt him tear the back in two. Almost instantly the heap of pink wet cloth fell to her feet, leaving her body bare except for her underwear and the corset. Although she had been baking mere seconds before, she began shivering fitfully. And just when she thought she was finally going to die of suffocation Ludwig snapped the string lacing the corset together, providing her the ability to inhale to her heart's content.

"Are you well? How do you feel?" He kept his arm wrapped around her stomach to keep her upright, his voice riddled with concern.

Raven held the corset to her chest so it wouldn't fall off, breathing in deeply with her eyes closed. "I think I'm going to be sick." She croaked, feeling completely humiliated. She had survived dungeons plagued with diseases. She had lived for weeks out in the wilderness amongst animals. But she couldn't wear a corset without feeling more weakened then she ever had before.

"Why-how did this befall you?" She felt him move her hair out of her face and hold it behind her neck, possibly as a precaution in case she did throw up.

She looked down at the ground in shame. "A couple of days ago when I met the dresser, I might have pissed her off a bit… This was probably her way of getting back at me." She pulled the corset up over her chest more, feeling very self-conscious of the fact that she was practically naked. Ludwig seemed to take notice of her discomfort and quickly averted his gaze to the ceiling with a hand over his eyes. If the situation wasn't so serious she might have laughed.

"Here," he lead her over to her unmade bed and ripped the thin sheet off to wrap around her. She quickly took it and held it together with both hands in front of her. She simply let the corset drop to the floor. "Sit down, I'll get you some clothes." Raven just nodded silently, and watched as he went to her closet. She sighed deeply, glad that he was being so… well, _Ludwig_ about the situation. He wasn't making any perverted remarks, and he was being a complete gentleman. But she wasn't sure how long that was going to hold out. He may have been Ludwig, but he was still definitely a man. He was sure to crack and say something sooner or later, she just hoped it was after she was dressed again.

"Would you prefer a sports-type bra, regular-type, or this frilly black sex-bra?"

"Ludwig _please_ don't start!" She begged, feeling her cheeks flush beet red. She buried her face in one of her hands with a groan. "Sports bra!"

She heard him laugh. He was probably having all he could do to keep it as quiet as he did. "You are a 32-B? I never would have assumed that…" he threw the black sports-bra out of the closet and onto the bed next to her. "I think you'd look prettier in the frilly-bra." He chuckled quietly.

She snatched it up quickly and growled at him. "Ludwig, I really like you so only make me say this once: Shut up or _I will murder you_!" She heard him go quiet but from where she sat she could see him smiling uncontrollably. "I'm serious! This isn't funny!" he laughed quietly and started searching through her shirts.

"I warned you that things such as this befall people on my date of birth. But you did not believe me." He chucked a simple black tank top-like the one she often wore- over his shoulder at her, sneaking a peak at her. "Do you have faith in my curse now?" he smirked.

"No, I don't. This had nothing to do with you!"

He nodded in agreement. "Well, the cause did not, but the after affects have included me indefinitely. Although now that I ponder upon it, I don't suppose this is a curse to me. I am finding the after effects of your problems quite entertaining."

"_Ludwig_…" she growled at him, her eyebrows meeting in a deep V.

"Alright, I concede. I will stop my teasing." He smirked again, emerging from the closet with a pair of dark black pants and a frilly piece of black lace lingerie. "Seriously though." He held up the bra for her to see. "Might I inquire as to why this is even located here?"

Finally having enough she grabbed one of her long abandoned shoes and threw it at him. He ducked it easily with a laugh, but the second one hit him and caught on his left horn. "Hey, that is hardly fair. I did not see that you had more than one piece of ammunition." He tossed her the pants and crossed his arms at her.

"Well, you know what they say Ludwig. All is fair in love and war." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Now go away. I have to get dressed before someone else sees me half naked." She shooed him away but he just waited with his back turned to her by the door. "Get oouutt!" she whined, almost wishing that he hadn't even come to her rescue.

"You might require further assistance. If so, I do not think it wise to be far from you." He reasoned, looking directly at the door as he waited. "So continue fast so we may quickly forget this ever happened, as I am sure you want to."

"Fine." She muttered. She took some time to wipe the water from her legs with the sheet before pulling her pants on, but she realized that her underwear were still wet a little too late. "This just isn't my day…" she whimpered quietly to herself, and simply moved on to the next item. Instead of unclipping the bra and re-strapping it she pulled it over her head. "Crud!" she cringed as it snagged on her wet hair.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes I'm fi-ow!" she bit her lip as she tried to undo her mistake but it only made things worse. She was able to get it all the way on, but it was craning her head back at an awkward angle. "No, I'm not. My hair is stuck in the clasp." She admitted sourly. "I _hate-hate-hate_ asking but, can you help unhook it?"

"Are you certain you don't wish for me to call a maid?"

"Yes, I'm sure. It's bad enough you had to see me like this, I don't want anyone else to."

"Very well then." He sighed, and she was sure she looked like a cherry tomato when he looked at her again. "Wow you really are stuck." His claws eventually found the back strap and he started unhooking the hair so he could unclasp and re-clasp it. "Almost there, hold on…"

"I am telling you, today couldn't get any worse."

There was a knock at the door and the two of them froze as the person entered. "Ludwig, you are expected down in-oh stars, what the hell?" Bowser looked at the two of them in shock, his left eye even twitching in his surprise. Ludwig had finally unclasped the back of the bra, freeing her hair, but the two straps were still held tightly in his hands. Raven just wanted to cry.

After the initial shock, Bowser quickly covered his eyes and Ludwig spoke up. "Father I swear to you, this is not as it appears to be."

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Ludwig was now officially dead inside. His embarrassment had riddled him practically brain dead. After explaining things at a mile a minute to his father he had gone numb with dread. He had no idea how this would affect things between him and Raven. He mentally cursed himself for poking fun at her before, and he outwardly cursed himself for being so unable to look away from her as she quickly finished putting on her shirt. Her black hair clung wetly to the sides of her face and her neck, and it dripped water down her shoulders in dark streaks. He found the image stimulating, and that was one other reason to curse himself.

Quickly averting his gaze, he took a deep breath. He was glad his father left as soon as he did, that left him with only one person to apologize to. "Raven, I uh-" he coughed unsurely, not really understanding why she was suddenly laughing. He thought she was mortified. "I truly apologize for this misfortunate event. Please, let us forget that it ever transpired."

Raven just continued to laugh, shaking her head with her face in her hands. "Ludwig, as embarrassing as this was, this is hardly as bad as some things I have gone through." She assured him, standing up weakly from her spot on the bed. He reached out instinctively to help her, but she just waved the offer away and continued on her way to the bathroom to grab a towel for her hair.

"What could possibly be more embarrassing than this?" it seemed like a good question to ask, but as soon as it left his lips he regretted asking it. He didn't want to make things any weirder than they were.

Raven puffed a breath of air out of her chest, wrapping her hair up in the towel. "Try being sprayed by poison with your best friend, who just happens to be a guy, and having to strip to your underwear and get in the shower together to wash it off." She shook her head. "That was the day I swore never to wear white underwear ever again."

"Oh dear stars above, I did not need such an image in my head." He muttered, closing his eyes tightly. But they snapped open quickly when he caught onto something she had said. "Wait, you showered with another man? When was that?"

Raven laughed at him, rolling her eyes. "It was a while ago Ludwig, it's nothing you should be worried about. He's dead anyways…" she trailed off, her eyes becoming wet. He almost felt sorry for asking about it, but as soon as the tears came they left and she smiled again. "Well, I believe you have a party to go to Ludwig. I'll see you later."

"You have changed your mind about attending it with me?" He tried not too sound disappointed.

She shivered, pulling one of the bed sheets over her shoulders. "I am not putting on another dress. I'll be damned if I ever do again." She shuddered, then she sighed. "Besides, I'm still wet. Go have fun, do something out of the ordinary, it'll do you good. And I'll see you tomorrow." She flopped back onto the bed and buried her face in her pillow.

Ludwig crossed his arms, not satisfied. "It is my social gathering. I do not care what type of attire you come dressed in, as long as you are present. And I can abide my time to wait for you to dry and change if you wish. But I am not going without you at my side." He said in a tone that he hoped sounded final. He had read somewhere recently that women liked men who could be commanding and dominant in a relationship, and it seemed that the change caught her attention. She sat back up, her gaze flicking over him thoughtfully before she nodded.

"Okay… I'll change into something and meet you down there. How does that sound?"

"It is acceptable." He agreed. Turning to leave he only paused in the doorway to say over his shoulder smugly. "By the way, you have beautiful skin." He smirked at her sound of annoyance and left, feeling that the night could only get better from there.

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	33. Chapter 33: Love at last

**Happy Easter everybody! :)**

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**Thirty-three**

Ludwig waited with much vigor amongst his guests in the ballroom. He said polite nothings to the people he had to but otherwise ignored the world all together and continued to pace along a wall beside the large door. Luckily most of the attenders didn't realize he was even present or were too busy occupying themselves with his father's company. Silently he was thankful for that. He didn't like mingling with large crowds.

The door opened and he looked up quickly, his heart beating like a drum in his chest. But he was disappointed to find that it was not Raven, just another of his siblings arriving.

Taking a deep breath he tried to calm down. He was overthinking everything too much. But he couldn't help but contemplate that she not showing up was a possibility. This being sort of their first official date as a couple, he couldn't stop thinking of everything that had gone wrong already and everything that might go wrong in the future.

_What if she stands me up?_ He didn't want to think about it anymore but it kept popping back into his mind. He had left her nearly two hours ago and he hadn't seen or heard any sign of her. But after some of the things he said he wouldn't be shocked if she never wanted to see him again. He had said some things that were definitely a bit suggestive. And he regretted every word.

_Forget her standing me up, what if she is hurt?_ His eyes widened at the possibility. _She did say she thought she was going to have heat stroke. I thought she had been exaggerating. What if she fainted? What are the chances that- _He continued fidgeting along the sidelines, wringing his hands nervously as he was forced to continually wait. His mind worked a thousand scenarios where Raven didn't show up and none of them looked good.

"C'mon Raven…" he slurred his words uncharacteristically together, tapping his feet nervously. "Where are you?"

"Excuse me?" someone tapped on his shoulder. In his distracted state he didn't even look up to acknowledge who it was. "Have you seen a certain Koopa? He's about your height, has crazy blue hair and kind of talks like a genius."

He shook his head. "I apologize, I have not seen him." He said politely, not even looking up.

The girl gave a pouty sigh. "Well, that is unfortunate. I was supposed to meet him down here, but it appears he has ventured off into la-la-land…" he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and he jumped in surprise. "Maybe this'll bring him back."

Ludwig's eyes widened in surprise when the girl kissed him. At first he didn't register that it was Raven and he almost pulled away. But at the sight of her dark black hair and sparkling eyes, he calmed and wrapped his arms around her waist to bring her closer. He felt her laugh softly and she pulled away slightly to look him in the eyes. "What kept you?" he inquired, his hands slipping from her hips to hold her small, cold hands. He noticed that her fingers went cold easily…

The girl shook her head slowly, sighing quietly. "Well, I had to dry my hair, wash the dumb makeup off of my face, change, and then I had to find this place." She looked around the room with a roll of her eyes. "Despite this being one of the largest rooms in the castle, it is very hard to find without a floor plan."

Ludwig smiled. "And I don't suppose you had studied the entirety of the castle when you were sent to assassinate me. You only had to find where I was sleeping."

Raven nodded. "Yeah, pretty much." She chuckled quietly, her gaze sent down to the floor. She bit her lip and he could see her teeth nearly draw blood. "Well-" she forced herself out of her stupor and gave him another smile. "-aren't you going to say something about my appearance? I did spend a good ten minutes debating what I should wear, and I don't do that for just anyone."

With a quick glance up and down at her, he realized why she had taken her time. "I recall you saying that 'you'd be damned if you ever wore a dress again'. Why the change of mind?" he wasn't disappointed at her decision. She looked quite nice in the knee-long black dress she was in. The skirt swept beautifully around her thighs and the loose sleeves complemented her toned arms. The V-neck went down just far enough for him to see her collar bone, and it was quite obvious that she wasn't wearing a sports bra. He almost chuckled. "You are beautiful." He said, softly caressing her cheek. And she was… Very beautiful… The only thing out of place with her was the edge of her shorts peeking out from the bottom of the skirt and the collar wrapped around her neck.

He tried to ignore the collar. He had wanted to take it off for a long time now, but he was a little afraid that if he did she would leave. She was a master of deceit. How was he to know if she was playing with his emotions just to get free?

As if reading his mind, Raven swallowed hard and touched the electric collar. When she moved it he could clearly see that it was leaving red marks, as if rubbing her neck raw. The sight only served to make him feel worse.

Ludwig cleared his throat quickly, determined to not let the night be spoiled for both of them due to his wandering mind. "Would you like to dance?" he held a hand out to her, motioning to the many other guests dancing on the ballroom floor. The music was a faster pace at the moment, and he thought she might enjoy a quick dance to get over the awkwardness of their last encounter. He was hopeful that she would say yes, and was a little taken aback when she shook her head.

"No." she rolled her eyes in embarrassment. "Ludwig, I only know a little about how to dance and I don't think I could keep up with you. I'm just not a dancer."

He shrugged, still offering her his hand. "In actuality, I am not much of a dancer myself." He smiled when she took his hand, her head ducked in embarrassment, and he led her out onto the ballroom floor.

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Raven wasn't sure what she was doing, but instead of giving in and letting him lead she studied the steps with much scrutiny and tried to figure it out herself. She could hear Ludwig laugh softly at her stubbornness, and she blushed a little. She wasn't used to being so close with another person, it was strange. And she hadn't worked together with anyone on anything since…

She bit her lip forcefully, determined not to think about it now. She was there with Ludwig, and she wasn't going to ruin it with a trip down memory lane. She forced a smile when he gave her a concerned look, and he seemed to understand that she didn't want to talk about it. She liked that about him. He understood her. And she felt like she could understand him.

The song they were dancing to came to an end, but they didn't stop. Instead, she was pulled into the second song with a slight stumble of surprise. Her eyebrows knit in a V as she tried to catch on to the next form of steps. He may have told her that he wasn't much of a dancer but he was certainly better than her. She growled quietly in frustration, and she felt his hand clasp a little more firmly around hers as he moved forward to whisper.

"For this once Raven, let me lead." He said with a small smile. "Believe me, it will go immensely more smoothly if you comply."

"Ugh, fine…" she gave in with a teasing glare and almost immediately things became easier. Her feet didn't fall over themselves and she felt like they were moving more gracefully. But now since her eyes were off the ground, she noticed that everyone was staring at them and she felt her stomach tie in a knot. Only now did she see the cameras, the media people, and all the potential enemies in the room. She was instantly set on guard, her whole body stiffening. They were all watching them like a group of hawks!

"Raven, are you alright?"

She jumped at his voice and pulled away instinctively, her hand retreating to the concealed pencil in her sleeve. To anyone, it would have looked like she was embarrassed, but her blood pulsed in her ears as anxiety consumed her. If any of these people recognized her, or told anything of 'the girl with Ludwig', her father would see through her lie. He would find a way to force her to return!

She breathed in sharply as Ludwig touched her arm, snapping her out of her daze. "Raven?" his concern made her twist away from him with guilt. He didn't need to see the fear in her eyes. He didn't need to know her worries. "What is the matter?"

"It-it's nothing, I just-" she bit her lip again, taking his hand she pulled him over to the sidelines. He followed without question out of the ballroom, but he hesitated to enter the coat closet she entered. Without a word she pulled him inside and closed the door, finally letting out her pent up breath. "I'm sorry Ludwig, I just panicked.." she walked down the rows of guest's coats, not able to meet his gaze as she breathed shakily. "I haven't wanted to run so far, so fast, in such a long time." She laughed nervously, sitting down in one of the in closet benches. "Sorry…"

Ludwig flicked on a light and looked at her curiously. "It is alright, I wanted to duck out of there anyways." He tried to lift her spirits, but she could hardly smile. He sat down beside her, his hands bracing against the bench firmly. "What is bothering you?"

She sighed deeply, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. How could she explain her sudden fear to him? It was almost irrational of her to get so tense so easily. "I just…don't like large crowds. And they were all staring at us."

"Oh.." he nodded sympathetically. "I can understand how that would make you uncomfortable. But I can assure you that there were probably just confused that they didn't know who you were. Usually everybody knows everyone at these sort of functions, whether by reputation or acquaintance." She saw him reach out tentatively to touch her shoulder, but he seemed to decide against it and return the hand to his side. She sighed, and leaned against his shoulder, surely taking him by surprise.

"I don't want them to try to know me Ludwig… if they found out who I am, it could be disastrous… I don't know what they would do to me."

At that Ludwig grasped her shoulders tightly, turning her to face him completely. His gaze was stern, and he spoke with certainty. "They would not maltreat even a single hair upon your head!" He growled quietly, cupping her cheek and lowering his voice. "I would not allow them to. If they would dare attempt to bring harm to you, the one that _I_ _love_, by my right I would have them made example of in the presence of the entirety of the Darklands.."

Raven bit her lip, going over what he just said. He would protect her. He would show his whole country, that he would one day rule over, that he wasn't ashamed of her. But what made her heart stop was what he had said without even realizing it. "You…love me?" she watched him carefully as he mentally went over what he had said. His eyes grew a little rounder when he realized it, but then he smiled at her.

"I believe that I do."

She couldn't help the excitement coursing through her. No one had said that to her in years! And the pure honesty in his eyes made her want to break down crying in joy right there, but she didn't. She was still able to control herself that much. She wanted to tell him that she loved him too, but something kept nagging at her. Involuntarily, she reached up and touched the collar that kept her confined to the castle. She wanted him to trust her completely. "Ludwig, if you really do feel that way, I wish you would trust me. If you love me," she pointed to the collar, giving him a challenging look, "take this infernal thing off of me."

He gave her an unsure look, his tail twitching. "You will not take off if I comply?"

She shook her head. "No Ludwig, I love you too much to leave."

She kissed him before he could say anything else, and she felt his hands move up to her neck. His thumb brushed over her sore skin for a mere moment, and with a small beep noise the metal bond came off. Throwing it across the room without a care for it, Ludwig moved closer to her, making her squeak a little in surprise as he wrapped his arms around her. But she wasn't upset, she didn't try to pull away at all. She loved it. Every second of it. She had gone so long without anyone to love her, she never wanted to let go of him. She would stay with him forever if she could.

"Ludwig?"

They both jumped, practically pushing each other away at the sound of Bowser's voice. He was standing in the doorway, an amused look in his fiery red eyes. His arms crossed over his chest, he smirked. "Twice in one night is really starting to make me wonder what exactly you two have been doing when I'm not looking."

Ludwig gulped, his eyes widening in fright. "Father I assure you-"

Bowser chuckled, waving for the boy to calm down. "I know son, I know." He shook his head at the two of them and Raven felt her cheeks go red. "I actually need to steel my son away from you Raven, but it shouldn't take very long."

"Oh, okay. I should probably find Wendy anyways. I've been meaning to talk with her." She gave a little wistful look at Ludwig before heading out the door to leave. "I'll catch up with you later." She gave him one last smile before she disappeared down the hallway, not intending to find Wendy at all. She needed time to think. Alone in her room with no interruptions might have been good, but knowing that Ludwig was afraid of her leaving, she instead went to the open bar to get a virgin margarita…

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